COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on promotion measures and information provision for agricultural products: a reinforced value-added European strategy for promoting the tastes of Europe
Date: 2012-03-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: agricultural product, common agricultural policy, consumer information, international trade, product quality, quality label, sales promotion

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 30.3.2012  
COM(2012) 148 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on promotion measures and information provision for agricultural products: a 
reinforced value-added European strategy for promoting the tastes of Europe 

 
 
 
 
  
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

2.3. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

4. 

Promotion as a key element of the CAP ...................................................................... 4 

The challenges.............................................................................................................. 4 

Securing one’s position in a situation of growing competition and opening-up 
markets ......................................................................................................................... 4 

A competitive and dynamic European agri-food sector............................................... 5 

Enhancing the image of European agriculture and European agricultural and food 
products ........................................................................................................................ 5 

Objectives of the future promotion policy ................................................................... 6 

Higher European added value ...................................................................................... 6 

A more appealing and assertive policy ........................................................................ 6 

Simpler management.................................................................................................... 6 

Greater synergy between the different promotion instruments.................................... 6 

Guidelines for the reform ............................................................................................. 7 

4.1. 

A wider scope of application........................................................................................ 7 

4.1.1.  The beneficiaries .......................................................................................................... 7 

4.1.2.  The eligible products and themes................................................................................. 7 

4.1.3.  The indication of origin................................................................................................ 8 

4.1.4.  Brand names................................................................................................................. 8 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

4.5. 

4.6. 

A wider scope of activity with the development of technical assistance for operators 9 

Revised intervention methods, especially in multi-country programmes.................... 9 

Promotion and the crisis............................................................................................. 10 

Simplified and optimised management...................................................................... 10 

Greater consistency between information and promotion activities under the 
promotion scheme and other promotion measures within the CAP........................... 10 

4.7.  What should Europe’s budget be to ensure we can achieve our objectives? ............. 11 

5. 

Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 11 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on promotion measures and information provision for agricultural products: a 
reinforced value-added European strategy for promoting the tastes of Europe 

INTRODUCTION 

The diversity and quality of agricultural production in the European Union are values known 
throughout the world. While the increasing globalisation of trade does present challenges, it 
also  opens  up  new  markets  and  new  growth  opportunities  to  be  seized.  In  this  context, 
offering  excellent  products  that  meet  stringent  standards  remains  a  priority  but  is  no  longer 
sufficient for durably securing a good position on the market. The very strong reputation of 
our regions and of our know-how must be consolidated and maximised further.  

The European Union, which has extremely diverse, high-quality production and guarantees a 
high  level  of  health  security,  has  all  the  resources  necessary  to  benefit  from  the  projected 
growth  of  world  demand  as  long  as  it  highlights  its  strengths  through  a  better  targeted  and 
more  ambitious  promotion  policy.  In  addition,  on  the  internal  market,  consumers  should  be 
made more aware of the quality and diversity of the available range of products. 

The  aim  of  the  legislative  proposals  for  the  reform  of  the  CAP  post-2013  currently  being 
negotiated  is  to  enable  this  policy  to  contribute  fully  to  the  “Europe  2020”  Strategy  by 
supporting agriculture that guarantees food safety, the sustainable use of natural resources and 
the dynamism of rural areas as well as growth and employment. An efficient promotion policy 
is key to reaching these objectives. With this in mind, in-depth discussions were launched in 
July  2011,  including  a  public  debate,  with  the  adoption  of  a  Green  Paper  on  information 
provision and promotion measures for agricultural products1 to serve as a flagship measure to 
reinforce  the  competitiveness  of  EU  agriculture.  The  reflections  presented  in  this 
Communication  are  also  based  on  the  external  evaluation  report,  prepared  in  2011,  on  the 
present promotion policy2. 

The  task  of  the  Green  Paper  was  to  1)  define  how  this  information  and  promotion  policy 
could  better  explain  to  consumers  the  effort  made  by  EU  producers  to  reach  such  a  high 
quality, 2) to display the entire range of products and tastes from the different EU regions, 3) 
to stimulate exports and 4) to help European producers facing new challenges on the markets 
and a particularly difficult economic situation.  

The  conclusions  of  the  Council  of  Ministers  and  the  statements  of  the  Committee  of  the 
Regions  and  of  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  issued  in  December  2011  in 
response to the revision of the promotion policy recommend that existing tools be improved, 
simplified and made more consistent in order to revive this policy. The European Parliament 
too expressed support for reinforcing promotion measures, in particular those aimed at quality 
products. 

1 
2 

COM(2011) 436.  
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eval/reports/promotion/index_en.htm. 

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Against  such  a  background,  this  Communication  aims  at  increasing  the  added  value  of  the 
agri-food sector and its contribution to the European economy by moving towards a European 
and global promotion policy more focused on the commercial aspects of the sector. 

1. 

PROMOTION AS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF THE CAP 

The  regulatory  framework  for  information  and  promotion  activities  targeting  agricultural 
products  has  evolved  since  its  introduction  in  the  early  1980s.  More  than  ever,  it  aims  at 
improving  the  image  of  European  agricultural  products,  stimulating  stagnating  or  declining 
consumption trends and winning new markets.  

Through  the  horizontal  promotion  scheme3  in  place  since  2000,  the  European  Commission 
examines  the  generic  promotion  programmes  proposed  by  sectoral  trade  organisations  and 
validated by the national authorities. It then selects those schemes that fulfil the criteria laid 
down in the Council Regulation and its implementing Regulation. These programmes are co-
financed on the basis of a tripartite agreement where the EU contributes a maximum of 50%4, 
the trade organisation a minimum of 20% and the Member States concerned pay for the rest. 
The  annual  budget  allocated  to  promotion  measures  is  about  EUR  50  million,  about  one 
quarter of which goes to promotion in the external market. 

This  horizontal  scheme  co-exists  with  other  promotion  measures  within  the  CAP,  in  the 
Common  Market  Organisation5  and  as  part  of  rural  development6.  The  first  mentioned 
concerns  the  wine  sector  in  third  countries  and  the  fruit  and  vegetable  sector  through  the 
operational programmes of producers’ organisations. 

This arrangement results in a certain lack of consistency as regards the nature of the actions 
and the rules, making it difficult to assess their overall impact. There are also other problems 
that  make  it  necessary  to  reform  the  promotion  policy  as  a  whole,  such  as  bureaucratic 
management and fragmented action that is poorly balanced between the internal and external 
markets. 

2. 

THE CHALLENGES 

2.1. 

Securing  one’s  position  in  a  situation  of  growing  competition  and  opening-up 
markets  

In  2010  the  European  Union  was  the  world’s  second  exporter  of  agricultural  products  for  a 
total value of EUR 91 billion, right after the United States (EUR 92 billion), and the biggest 
importer (EUR 84 billion). The share of finished and processed products in European exports 
has increased continuously over the years. In value, these products represent over two-thirds 
of the EU's total agricultural exports. It is essential for European agriculture to preserve and 

3 

4 

5 
6 

Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 3/2008  and  its  implementing  Regulation,  Commission  Regulation  (EC) 
No 501/2008. 
This rate is 60% for activities promoting fruits and vegetables among children in European schools and 
for information campaigns in the EU concerning responsible drinking patterns and the harm linked to 
irresponsible alcohol consumption. 
Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007. 
Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005. 

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improve its competitiveness and market shares both in its internal market and in exports, in 
compliance with the international trade commitments entered into by the EU. 

In coming years, the possible conclusion of the Doha Round and the negotiation of new trade 
agreements  will  mean  new  opportunities  that  need  to  be  seized  by  exporters  of  agricultural 
products.  

2.2. 

A competitive and dynamic European agri-food sector 

The food chain represents 6% of European gross domestic product (GDP). More specifically, 
within European manufacturing industry, the food industry is the biggest employer with 4.2 
million jobs (13.5%) and a turnover of EUR 954 billion (12.9%). The food industry comprises 
310 000  companies,  99.1%  of  which  are  SMEs7,  and  uses  up  a  big  share  of  the  EU’s 
agricultural production. 

The success of European agriculture will depend on its ability to increase its market share and 
enable  the  highly  competitive  food  industry  sector  to  maintain  an  important  position  in  the 
EU’s trade and economy.  

The  markets  are  changing  increasingly  fast.  Supply  must  adapt  to  demand  that  may  change 
radically over a short period of time, especially if there is a loss of consumer confidence. The 
development of the internet accentuates this phenomenon8. 

Favourable  in  the  medium  term,  the  prospects  for  agricultural  markets  are  expected 
nonetheless to be characterised by greater uncertainty and volatility. 

2.3. 

Enhancing  the  image  of  European  agriculture  and  European  agricultural  and 
food products 

The primary role of agriculture is to produce food. At European level, the CAP contributes to 
viable  food  production  while  guaranteeing  the  sustainable  management  of  natural  resources 
and seeing to balanced territorial development. Through their activities and their presence in 
rural areas, farmers have become guardians of natural resources and of environmental values 
that are indispensable for the sustainability and competitiveness of European agriculture. 

Our agricultural and food products are the best testimonials to a Common Agricultural Policy 
focused on quality. Consumers in Europe and in third countries should be made aware of and 
recognise  the  advantages  of  European  agricultural  products,  which  comply  with  extremely 
strict  standards  concerning  the  environment,  food  safety  and  animal  well-being,  and  of 
European eating habits.  

3. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE FUTURE PROMOTION POLICY 

3.1. 

Higher European added value 

The  promotion  of  agricultural  products  must  not  replace  promotion  activities  in  the  private 
sector but should rather endow them with a special European dimension. By seeking higher 

7 
8 

Source: CIAA annual report for 2010. 
The  number  of  internet  users  totalled  2.1  billion  on  31.3.2011,  or  480%  more  than  in  2000.  Source: 
internet world stats. 

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European added value and anchoring it firmly in our regions, it will be possible to promote 
growth and employment and contribute in this way to the “Europe 2020” strategy. 

This  European  added  value  can  be  generated  by  defining  a  European  information  and 
promotion strategy that targets markets more precisely and offers products or messages to be 
highlighted (for example products with a high added value). Account should be taken of free 
trade  agreement  negotiations  and  the  most  profitable  markets  in  order  to  avoid  the 
fragmentation  of  effort.  Furthermore,  cooperation  between  the  economic  players  of  the 
different Member States contributes greatly to European added value and to highlighting the 
diversity of European agricultural products. 

3.2. 

A more appealing and assertive policy 

Besides  being  unable  to  create  the  necessary  added  value,  the  information  and  promotion 
policy  is  also  subject  to  administrative  constraints.  Programmes  have  been  submitted  too 
timidly  in  third  countries.  In  addition,  it  is  not  always  easy  to  assess  the  range  of  actions, 
whose impact may not be seen until later. It is therefore important to conduct more appealing 
campaigns  preceded,  if  necessary,  by  market  analyses,  studies  of  consumer  habits  or  pilot 
campaigns. In order to reinforce the cost-effectiveness of the future policy, each action will 
require  a  more  systematic  impact  assessment  to  confirm  that  the  objectives  set  have  indeed 
been met. 

3.3. 

Simpler management 

Information  and  promotion  programmes  are  usually  financed  and  managed  on  a  tripartite 
basis  (trade  organisations,  the  Member  State  and  the  European  Commission).  In  turn,  trade 
organisations  rely  on  implementing  bodies  such  as  advertising  agencies  to  carry  out  the 
actions they have planned. 

The contributions to the Green Paper are often requests to review the method used to select 
programmes and to make their planning and execution more flexible so changes can be made 
during implementation.  The contributions call for a more active role for the Commission in 
drafting  and  coordinating  multi-country  programmes,  especially  in  third  countries.  At  the 
same time, the respective roles of the Member State and the Commission in following up and 
monitoring  activities  will  be  clarified  in  order  to  avoid  duplication  of  effort  and  lengthy 
procedures. 

3.4. 

Greater synergy between the different promotion instruments 

The objective of the future European strategy for the promotion of agricultural products is to 
increase the added value of the agri-food sector and its contribution to the European economy. 
This  aim  requires  more  consistent  actions  to  promote  the  CAP  so  that  their  impact  can  be 
guaranteed.  While  the  special  features  of  the  different  sectors  should  be  kept  in  mind,  it  is 
desirable to seek linkages and synergies that strengthen the promotion policy. 

Regardless of the scheme, a common identity, including visual and content-related elements, 
would  provide  these  promotion  activities  with  a  stronger  European  identity  and  better 
consumer visibility and improve their performance.  

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4. 

GUIDELINES FOR THE REFORM  

A variety of reform options for achieving an information and promotion policy that meets the 
above  objectives  will  be  examined  during  the  impact  analysis  process  that  will  accompany 
and be used to justify the legislative proposal to be adopted by the Commission before the end 
of 2012. 

The  guidelines  elaborated  below  are  suggested  reflections  based  on  currently  available 
reports,  in  particular  the  summary  report  of  the  replies  to  the  Green  Paper9  and  the  ex-post 
evaluation report concerning the promotion policy10. 

Information and promotion activities related to local markets and short supply chains will 
be covered by rural development programmes prepared as part of a cooperation project and 
excluded from the future promotion scheme. 

4.1. 

A wider scope of application 

4.1.1.  The beneficiaries 

The  scope  of  the  information  and  promotion  measures  could  be  extended  beyond  trade 
organisations.  In  particular,  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  role  given  to  private  enterprises 
that propose programmes with high added value for the European Union. 

4.1.2.  The eligible products and themes 

At present, the list of eligible products is different for internal and external markets, and this 
no  longer  seems  justified.  A  single,  homogeneous  list  that  follows  more  closely  the  list  of 
products covered by the quality policy should be established. The possibility to add to the list 
processed agricultural products not included in Annex I to the Treaty will be examined. 

Furthermore, as underlined by the European Court of Auditors11, among others, the promotion 
of  European  food  quality  schemes  such  as  the  protected  designation  of  origin  (PDO),  the 
protected geographical indication (PGI) and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), and of 
products recognised under these schemes should receive reinforced support. 

In  addition  to  providing  information  on  and  promoting  agricultural  and  food  products, 
activities  could  also  deliver  thematic  messages  illustrating  the  special  characteristics  of 
European  products  and,  in  particular,  their  quality,  gastronomical  aspects,  health  issues, 
sustainable  development  or  animal  well-being.  As  a  means  of  bringing  consumers  closer  to 
producers, it might be worth using new technologies that would make it possible to visualise 
the implementation of good production practices on farms or sell products online more easily. 

4.1.3.  The indication of origin 

According to the public consultation, 76% of respondents consider the indication of origin as 
the most important element. This shows clearly the link between food and origin and confirms 

9 
10 
11 

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/promotion/policy/consultation/summary-report_en.pdf. 
Cf. footnote 2. 
Special report No 11/2011. 

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the  results  of  consumer  attitude  surveys.  This  link  can  be  either  positive  or  negative  (fears 
following health crises and other notable socio-cultural events).  

A  mention  of  “Europe”,  European  know-how,  the  European  lifestyle,  etc.  should  always 
feature, explicitly or implicitly, in any information and promotion measures in order to help 
develop the European image of agricultural and food products. 

For PDO or PGI products registered in Europe, it will still be possible to include the origin as 
the  main  indication,  as  at  present,  provided  that  the  reference  is  exactly  the  same  as  that 
registered. 

Notwithstanding  European  rules  on  product  labelling,  it  would  be  useful  to  study  how 
including  the  indication  of  origin  in  information  and  promotion  activities  could  boost  the 
effect of these activities:  

- on the internal market, regardless of the labelling rules applied to the products in question, 
the  purpose  of  indicating  the  national  origin  (except  in  the  case  of  a  name  recognised 
throughout Europe) would be to increase the consumption of products from the Member State 
concerned, which, pursuant to the rules on the free movement of goods, would be considered 
a  measure  having  equivalent  effect  to  quantitative  restrictions  on  intra-Community  trade. 
Therefore  including  the  origin  as  the  main  indication  cannot  be  authorised  but  it  could  be 
included as a secondary indication.  

- in contrast, on the external market, indicating the national origin of a product in addition to 
its European origin, which is the main indication, might be an advantage on certain markets 
where, even though Europe is a well-known geographical area, the national identity of certain 
Member States is stronger than their European identity. 

4.1.4.  Brand names 

While the role of brand names in promoting products in third countries was discussed in the 
public  consultation,  there  was  broad  consensus  on  the  importance  of  preserving  the  generic 
nature of information and promotion activities co-financed at European level. Indeed, it would 
seem  that  taxpayers  understand  better  the  need  to  co-finance  generic  information  and 
promotion activities. 

Products are sold on the basis of contracts concluded with importers, and therefore it would 
seem natural to complement generic promotion by bringing together economic players who, 
by definition, sell their own products. Brand names can have a leveraging effect. The impact 
analysis should, among other things, examine the possibility of implementing mixed schemes 
on the external market that would include a generic section and a commercial section where 
private  brands  could  be  presented.  The  participation  of  brand  names  should  be  subject  to  a 
common framework that guarantees compliance with competition rules.  

It  should  also  be  examined  whether  the  indication  of  collective  brands  should  be  subject  to 
specific rules or to the rules to be laid down for brands in general. 

4.2. 

A  wider  scope  of  activity  with  the  development  of  technical  assistance  for 
operators 

There are three types of information and promotion activities: 

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1-Information on the production methods used in European agricultural policy: in the internal 
market,  in  particular,  the  goal  is  to  provide  better  information  on  the  EU’s  agricultural 
products,  highlighting  especially  the  following:  their  great  diversity,  high  quality,  the 
traditions  underpinning  their  production,  the  know-how  and  strict  production  standards 
(unrivalled outside the EU); respect for the environment as a solution to the challenges posed 
by sustainability requirements and climate change; health standards. 

2-information on and the promotion of European quality symbols (e.g. the PDO, PGI, SGT, 
organic logos, etc.); 

3-information on and the promotion of agricultural products and agricultural product ranges. 
On  the  external  market,  the  aim  is  to  help  agricultural  products  from  the  EU  increase  their 
market share and to contribute to reinforcing the “Europe brand”. 

The  public  consultation  is  nearly  unanimous  about  the  need  to  propose  at  European  level  a 
fourth  type  of  activity  consisting  of  technical  support  (for  example  by  providing  market 
studies,  importer  lists  or  information  on  import  standards12)  in  order  to  help  operators 
participate in co-financed programmes, carry out efficient campaigns or develop their export 
activities. 

The  public  consultation  and  the  assessments  resulted  in  a  number  of  proposals  for  the 
implementation  of  a  European  platform  for  the  exchange  of  information  and  promotion 
activities,  featuring,  for  example,  a  website,  a  help  desk,  a  joint  calendar  of  activities,  a 
catalogue of good practices, etc.  

4.3. 

Revised intervention methods, especially in multi-country programmes 

The  activities  would  be 
communication and promotion professionals with proven knowledge of the target markets. 

through  programmes  managed  by 

implemented  primarily 

Multi-country  programmes  make  it  possible  to  share  experience  and  realise  economies  of 
scale, in addition to providing undeniable added value for Europe. However, while they are 
promoted by the current policy, they do not yield the desired results. They represented only 
8% of the programmes in 2006-2010 and sometimes consisted simply in juxtaposing national 
programmes instead of actually combining strategies or actions. Such a “renationalisation” of 
programmes  is  counter-productive  both  as  regards  administrative  management  and  the 
intended  effect.  A  different  operating  method  will  have  to  be  considered  for  multi-country 
programmes in order to overcome the present obstacles, such as increasingly high preparation 
costs, increasingly difficult coordination between the players (cultural and linguistic barriers, 
among others) and implementation involving several Member States. 

On the Commission’s initiative, and owing to their past positive record, high-level missions of 
the  Commission  Member  responsible  for  agriculture  will  continue  to  be  carried  out  in  third 
countries  and  the  Commission,  accompanied  by  business  delegations,  will  continue  to 
participate in international fairs. 

12 

See the sanitary and phytosanitary export database: 
http://madb.europa.eu/madb_barriers/indexPubli_sps.htm. 

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4.4. 

Promotion and the crisis 

A crisis is above all unpredictable. Information and promotion measures are financed under 
the 1st pillar of the CAP on an annual basis on the general assumption that the situation of the 
agricultural markets will remain normal.  

Therefore, up to now, any additional promotion measures taken in response to crises13 have 
been  financed  by  additional  appropriations,  added  to  the  initial  budget  in  the  course  of  the 
year. However, owing to the constraints of the 2014-2020 financial framework, such ad hoc 
funding will be more difficult.  

Consequently,  the  political  issue  here  is  whether  the  Community-level  response  to  a  crisis 
should  stem  from  the  future  promotion  policy  or  from  the  horizontal  measures  already 
included in the proposals for the CAP in 2020. 

4.5. 

Simplified and optimised management 

The general opinion is that the selection, follow-up and management of programmes should 
be  simpler  and  more  flexible  and  operational.  Consequently  the  management  arrangements 
should  be  examined  as  a  whole  in  order  to  select  the  most  relevant  ones,  for  example 
outsourcing  direct  management  by  the  Commission  to  an  executive  agency  or  sharing 
management tasks with or without “national envelopes”. 

Where  appropriate,  there  should  be  different  management  arrangements  for  the  internal  and 
the external market and for multi-country programmes or crisis programmes. 

Furthermore, the requirements applied when programmes are selected will be revised and it 
might  be  possible  to  adopt  a  programme  as  part  of  a  multiannual  framework  programme, 
where information is given for the first year of implementation but where detailed information 
for the subsequent years can be provided later.  

4.6. 

Greater  consistency  between  information  and  promotion  activities  under  the 
promotion scheme and other promotion measures within the CAP 

While it is essential to boost information and promotion activities by providing key messages 
on the characteristics of European agricultural and food products, there is also the problem of 
inconsistency  between  promotion  activities  carried  out  under  the  CAP  but  according  to 
different  rules.  Consistency  will  have  to  be  improved  by  avoiding  the  extremes  of  a  simple 
alignment  of  activities,  on  the  one  hand,  and  a single  promotion  scheme,  on  the  other,  and, 
above all, in a manner that helps better evaluate all of the promotion measures.  

In  addition,  in  order  to  conduct  generic  campaigns  with  the  greatest  value  for  Europe, 
improve European visibility and contribute to the building of the European image, it might be 
useful  to  introduce  an  indication  of  European  identity  including  both  visual  and  content-
related  elements  in  all  information  and  promotion  programmes.  This  would  be  done  by 
developing  measures  under  a  single  banner,  for  example  using  a  slogan  such  as  “Taste  of 
Europe: Quality Guaranteed”. In order for it to be efficient, this banner system could be used 
in all information and promotion measures and adapted to the internal and external markets. 

13 

Regulation (EC) No 698/2009 and Regulation (EC) No 688/2011. 

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4.7.  What should Europe’s budget be to ensure we can achieve our objectives?  

This issue, raised in the Green Paper, and more specifically the amount of the budget was the 
topic of numerous contributions. When investing in promotion measures, Europe will have to 
look for the best possible return on investment. 

Table 1: Promotion measures under the 1st pillar of the CAP (main amounts)  

Scheme 

Amounts 

Source 

COM in wine 

EUR 112 million (executed in 2011) 

Declarations of the Member 
States 

EUR  228  million  (estimated  expenditure 
in 2013)14 

Programming 
Member States 

of 

the 

COM  in  fruit  and 
vegetables 

EUR  34  million  (executed  on  average  in 
2008-2009) 

Evaluation report15  

Horizontal scheme  EUR 47 million (executed in 2011); EUR 

55.2 million (budget for 2012) 

Declarations of the Member 
States 

In the light of the objectives and in order to make the new promotion policy more efficient, 
consideration should be given to the advisability of reconciling these different budgets and to 
the financial aspects while remaining consistent with the Commission's proposals for the new 
financial framework. 

5. 

CONCLUSION 

This Communication bases itself on the findings of the public consultation and provides a few 
preliminary  guidelines  for  reforming  the  promotion  policy.  It  will  be  supplemented  with  an 
in-depth  impact  analysis  that  will  be  used  to  back  up  the  policy  reform  and  to  develop  a 
European  promotion  scheme  that  is  as  ambitious,  especially  in  its  external  component,  as 
those implemented by other major international exporters. 

The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy is seeking to improve the organisation of the 
production, sustainability and quality of agricultural products. It needs to be accompanied by 
a promotion policy that makes it possible to deploy the entire potential of the food sector in 
order to favour growth and employment within the European economy. 

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In their national programmes, Member States have the possibility to reallocate these amounts to other 
measures. Amendments to the national support programmes for wine can be made twice a year. 
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eval/reports/promotion/index_en.htm (page 23 of the report) 

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