14 Out 2020, 2:00 Comissão Europeira 371

EU agri-food promotion policy increases awareness of high standards of EU agri-food products

Activities funded under the EU agri-food promotion policy contribute effectively to its general objective, have been implemented relatively efficiently, are generally coherent with other EU policies and have a clear EU added value. These are among the key findings of the evaluation support study on the impact of the EU agricultural promotion policy – internal and third countries markets 2016 to 2019, published today by the European Commission.

Part of the evaluation of the current policy, the objective of the support study is to provide an independent assessment of the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value of the promotion policy measures implemented since 2016.

The findings of the support study, along with the results of the recently concluded public consultation on the subject, will provide the basis for a Commission report concluding the evaluation of the policy, to be published in December 2020. Furthermore, it will feed into an overall review of the policy planned for 2021, aimed at enhancing its contribution to sustainable production and consumption in line with the Commission’s Farm to fork strategy’s objectives.

The objective of the EU’s promotion policy for agricultural and food products is to boost competitiveness and consumption of EU products in and outside the EU. Promotion measures contribute to raising consumer awareness of the merits of the EU’s agricultural products and production methods, as well as the awareness and recognition of EU quality and organic farming schemes. Main activities include outreach and promotion activities carried out by producers and trade organisations, participation in trade fairs in and outside the EU, high-level missions with participation of EU producers, and media campaigns.

The support study found that promotion programmes, carried out by beneficiaries, are effective in supporting the specific objectives of the policy and contribute to its general objective. Measures implemented through the Commission’s own initiatives (fairs and high-level missions) were found to be highly effective in gaining access to third country markets. However, there is room for improvement in the monitoring and evaluation system of the policy.

The support study concluded that the promotion policy has been implemented efficiently, with some differences depending on the type of programme. For instance, direct management has been generally more efficient. There is scope to simplify and harmonise the management of simple and multi programmes, and increased knowledge sharing could lead to efficiency gains.

The promotion policy was found to be very relevant, and could play a significant role in the transition towards a green and sustainable EU agricultural sector.

The support study also established that the policy is coherent with comparable measures implemented at national level and found no major inconsistency between the EU agri-food promotion policy and other EU policies, including health, climate, environmental and development policies.

Finally, the study concluded that promotion policy brings clear EU added value, especially for the activities designed and managed at EU level. These activities provide an EU dimension of cooperation and collaboration among EU trade organisations that supports the overall policy objective of strengthening the competitiveness of the EU agri-food sector.