11/10/2018 (Agence Europe) – Trade, value chains, regional market integration and sanitary and phytosanitary standards are the centre of the discussions at the fourth meeting of the Task force rural Africa on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 October in Brussels. Phil Hogan, European Commissioner for Agriculture, recalled that the 11 African and European members of this task force were working towards new recommendations and ideas on the role of the European agri-food and agro-industrial sector in Africa's sustainable economic development. The final report, expected in January 2019, will focus on, among other things, job creation and support for young people working in the agri-food sector in Africa. EU-Africa relations are a priority for the European Commission, who recently launched the new Africa-Europe alliance to stimulate investments and job creation (see EUROPE 12096). (LC)