The European Commission will allow greater flexibility in the EU’s agricultural promotion campaigns in response to the US sanctions in the Airbus case (see EUROPE 12373/13).
In a letter sent on Friday 22 November to MEP Irene Tolleret (Renew Europe, France) on the subject of the 25% additional customs duties applied on French wines by the United States, Commissioner Phil Hogan said that “providing greater flexibility in the implementation and management of promotional operations under national sector support programmes for all operators concerned in all Member States seems to be the appropriate response to market disruptions that may affect the wine sector”.
He therefore wishes to propose that Member States be able to: – authorise operators who so wish to change the destination markets of their already approved promotion actions; – modify their programme several times a year to launch calls for support.
In addition, the duration of the promotion programmes (5 years) should be suspended to help operators consolidate the targeted markets until the end of the current programming period, i.e. 15 October 2023. Finally, it will be proposed to increase the EU funding rate for promotional operations in order to reduce the financial burden of campaigns for operators.
MEPs will vote in plenary in Strasbourg on 28 November on a resolution to address the consequences for European agriculture of the WTO decision on Airbus, including a call for more flexibility to mobilise horizontal promotion campaigns from 2020 and the application of exceptional circumstances clauses.
To consult the letter in French: http://bit.ly/2Df6CEY (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)