Brussels, 16/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will shortly propose to improve the measures to highlight the benefits of consuming EU agricultural products.
Amongst other things, the Commission will propose increasing the number of awareness and promotion campaigns targeting third countries, measures to avoid spreading resources too thinly and extending the range of beneficiaries. In addition, the Commission wishes to be able to take action under its own initiative, in order to secure new markets. It is also planning a considerable increase in the budget earmarked for these programmes (€200 million by 2020).
By the end of November, the Commission hopes to have adopted a draft regulation (the current regulation dates back to 2008) on information and promotion initiatives for agricultural products on the single market and in third countries. The aim of the proposal, according to a draft of which EUROPE has had sight, is to “allow targeted actions to be carried out defining the European strategy (…) laying down priorities for markets and products or the messages to be emphasised (for example, products with high levels of added value), taking account of negotiations for free-trade agreements, more promising markets and avoiding spreading the resources too thinly”. The Commission is also proposing a “rebalance of actions targeting third countries”, in other words, increasing the number of campaigns targeting third countries. It notes that, over the period 2001-2011, barely 30% of the budget earmarked for awareness and promotion campaigns targeted third-country markets, “even though these markets offer a great deal of growth potential”.
In line with the reform of the common agriculture policy (CAP), which “encourages farmers to work together”, the Commission wants to open promotion programmes up to producer organisations or associations of these, as well as the professional or inter-professional organisations which already benefit from them. The Commission also hopes to be able to add to the programmes, by carrying out actions under its own initiative, notably with a view to helping towards the opening-up of new markets. Products eligible for actions co-funded by the EU are agricultural products, with the exception of tobacco, and the foodstuffs of which they constitute the raw material, spirits with protected geographical indication and wine if it is associated with another agricultural food product. The Commission points out that the promotion of EU wines is already “one of the key aid measures in the wine-making sector provided for by the CAP”.
The Commission feels that it is necessary to seek the best return on its investment in these actions and to lay down a strict framework of the opportunities to refer to the origin of products or commercial brand names by way of illustration of the principal message, highlighting the intrinsic characteristics of European agricultural products. According to the Commission, “references to brand names or the origin may have a leveraging effect in the framework of promotion campaigns, particularly in third countries”.
Programmes submitted by operators in the various member states make a substantial contribution to European added value, the Commission writes in its draft. The Commission hopes to encourage this kind of programme on a multi-country basis.
Commission initiatives, for instance high-level commercial missions or involvement in international trade fairs, make it easier to open up new markets. The Commission is therefore making provision for actions on the initiative of the Commission (information and promotion campaigns, commercial missions, taking part in events). Furthermore, before the end of the year, the European Agriculture Commissioner, Dacian Ciolos, will head up a mission to Korea and Japan, together with some 30 heads of EU businesses. In parallel, the Commission is planning to develop new support services for operators (in order to help them familiarise themselves with the new markets).
The Commission also wants to simplify the management of the information and promotion policy. It plans to be more active in managing multi-country programmes in order to make it easier to set up and implement these. Its role and that of the member state in monitoring and checking should be clarified “in order to avoid duplications and long procedures”. “Selection at Commission level only” has accordingly been proposed.
Lastly, from a budgetary point of view, the Commission is planning to increase the funds allocated to this promotion policy, to rise from €61.5 million in 2013 to €200 million by 2020. (LC/transl.fl)