The European Commission has adopted new rules to simplify the EU’s agri-food promotion policy, cutting administrative and financial requirements for organisations and EU member states.
The changes draw on 10 years of experience managing the scheme and are intended to make funded promotion programmes easier to run, the Commission explained in a statement on Tuesday.
Member states and beneficiaries will have more time to conclude contracts and complete procedures under the updated rules, it added.
Smaller beneficiaries are expected to benefit from higher pre-financing, with the maximum rate increased to 30%.
Reporting requirements have also been reduced for “simple programmes” — promotion projects run in a single member state rather than by groups of countries — with beneficiaries required to submit one final notification to the Commission.
What the EU promotion policy covers
The EU’s promotion policy co-finances campaigns promoting EU farm and food products, the Commission said.
Since 2016, more than 650 campaigns have been co-financed under the “Enjoy, it’s from Europe” branding.
The policy has also supported the implementation of free trade agreements and has been linked to a positive evolution of the EU’s agri-food trade balance over the past decade.
