Brussels, 08/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 7 April, the European Parliament's agricultural committee approved the compromise text agreed between the institutions on measures to promote the sale of European agricultural products in the EU and third countries, and to help restore consumer confidence in the event of market volatility (see EUROPE 11052).
The rapporteur, Esther Herranz Garcia (EPP, Spain) stated: “This deal will further improve the promotion of EU farm products worldwide. New measures will help EU farmers and the food industry both to boost their sales abroad and to consolidate their position on the EU single market”. The agreement was approved by a wide majority.
Following Parliament's lead, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission agreed to allow the promotion of EU farm produce on the EU single market and not just in third countries. Information campaigns within the EU and in third countries could focus on the high food safety, animal welfare, traceability and sustainability standards that EU producers must meet.
According to the agreement, funding for information and promotion campaigns should come exclusively from the EU and the proposing organisation, thus excluding member states from all contribution, as the Commission had originally wanted. But to offset a possible lack of funding from producers, the three institutions agreed to enable the EU to increase its share of funding. All eligible promotion and information campaigns within the EU and abroad should be entitled to: - 70% co-funding for simple schemes (presented by organisations in one country) ; - 80% for simple schemes targetting third countries (rather than the 50% - 60% proposed by the Commission) ; - 80% for multiple-country programmes (both on teh internal market and in third countries) ; - and 85% in the event of a serious market disruption or loss of consumer confidence. The EU's contribution could be increased by a further 5 percentage points if the proposing organisation is from a member state receiving financial assistance.
The Commission will be allowed to launch campaigns speedily to remedy serious market disturbances and losses of consumer confidence, such as was experienced in 2011, when Spanish cucumbers were wrongly blamed for causing an E.coli outbreak.
Longer list of products covered. The deal also adds beer, chocolate, bread and pastry, pasta, salt, sweet corn, and cotton to the list of products eligible for the full range of EU-supported promotion measures. Fish and aquaculture products may be added to this list provided they are bundled in a promotion or information campaign with other eligible farm products.
Parliament also ensured that included wines with a protected designation of origin (PDO) or protected geographical indication (PGI) can qualify for EU support provided promotion campaigns are sponsored by organisations from several member states. For campaigns organised by one or more organisations from a single member state, wine could be added to the list only if bundled with other eligible products.
The regulation will increase the EU budget from the current €60 million to €200 million by 2020, through the use of these programmes to promote the advantages of consuming EU agricultural products in EU and third countries.
The provisional deal will be debated by the full Parliament at its last Strasbourg plenary session (14-17 April) before the European elections in May. If Parliament approves the text concluded, then it will still need to be formally endorsed by the Council. (LC)