The European Commission has announced it will distribute €200.9m to fund the promotion of EU agrifood products both within and outside the bloc.
€118m is set to be directed towards third country markets with the potential for high growth, including Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the USA. Promotional campaigns for agrifood products such as cheese and dairy, olives, wine and olive oil will aim to highlight the competitive benefits of food products originating in the EU, in order to boost their consumption and market share in third countries.
The remainder of the funding, meanwhile, will go towards supporting campaigns promoting agrifood products inside the EU; informing consumers in Member States and further abroad of the range of quality assurance schemes and labels overseen by the EU. The campaigns, which will cover programmes such as geographic indications and organic food labelling protocols, will also aim to draw consumers’ attention to the EU’s high standards of safety and food quality; as well as working within the EU to promote healthy eating habits and increasing consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Agriculture and rural development Commissioner Phil Hogan said: “Europe’s reputation in the world for agrifood products is unparalleled. The EU is not the top world agrifood exporter by accident. Our promotion policy, with an ever-increased budget, supports EU producers in making their products known both in the EU and outside; but also in facing market difficulties by raising more awareness on their produce. The trade agreements in place also create the conditions to increase their exports to high growing markets. The recent conclusion of the EU-China bilateral agreement on geographical indications is yet another example of the Commission’s work to create opportunities for producers and high quality EU products.”
A call for proposals for promotional campaigns will be published in January 2020. Eligible bodies include – but are not limited to – trade groups, agrifood producers and promotional bodies within the sector.
