Source: European Union news release

The European Commission has approved 26 programmes in 12 Member States to provide information on and to promote quality agricultural products in the European Union. The total budget of the programmes is € 21.5 million, of which the EU will contribute half.

Under a Council Regulation on information and promotion actions for agricultural products on the EU internal market, 12 Member States submitted 30 programme proposals. The Commission selected 26 programmes in those 12 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom) as eligible to receive financing. Eleven of the programmes relate to information about the new EU standards for the marking of eggs. The other programmes cover fruit and vegetables, flowers, wine, olive oil, dairy products and meat as well as organic products and protected denominations of origin or geographical indications (PDO/PGI).

The total budget of the programmes running between one and three years is € 21.5 million; the EU contribution to the programmes is € 10.7 million or 50 % of the total.

The approved programmes are the first series for the year 2004. A second series will be approved towards the end of the year. The annual EU budget available for promotion programmes in the agriculture sector is € 48.5 million.

Background

On 19 December 2000 the Council decided (1) that the EU could assist in financing measures that provide information on, or promote, agricultural products and food on the EU Internal market. These measures can consist of public relations, promotional or publicity actions, in particular highlighting the advantages of EU products, especially in terms of quality, hygiene, food safety, nutrition, labelling, animal welfare or environment-friendliness of their production. The measures can also cover participation at events and fairs, information campaigns on the EU system of protected designations of origin (PDO), protected geographical indications (PGI) and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), information on EU quality and labelling systems and organic farming. Information campaigns on the EU system of quality wines produced in specified regions (QWPSR) are also amongst the possibilities.

The EU finances 50% of the cost of these measures, the remainder being met by the professional/inter-branch organisations which proposed them and/or by the Member States concerned.

Consequently, detailed rules for applying the promotion and information measures were laid down by a Commission Regulation (2) in January 2002. This Regulation lists the themes and products that can be covered by the promotion measures. Each year, on 31 January and on 31 July, interested professional organisations can submit their proposals to the Member States.

These then have to send the Commission the list of programmes and implementing bodies they have selected and a copy of each programme. Subsequently the Commission evaluates the programmes and decides on its eligibility.

(1) Council Regulation EC Nr. 2826/2000 of 19 December 2002 on information and promotion actions for agricultural products on the internal market.

(2) Commission Regulation EC Nr. 94/2002 of 18 January 2002 laying down detailed rules for information and promotion actions for agricultural products on the internal market.