REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Interim Report in accordance with Article 26(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in third countries and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 3/2008
Date: 2018-12-05
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: agricultural product, consumer information, designation of origin, dissemination of information, domestic trade, international trade, public awareness campaign, sales promotion, single market, third country

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 5.12.2018 COM(2018) 788 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Interim Report in accordance with Article 26(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in third countries and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 3/2008 {SWD(2018) 482 final}  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

Interim Report in accordance with Article 26(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on information provision 
and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal 
market and in third countries and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 3/2008 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

This  report  concerns  the  implementation  of  the  information  provision  and  promotion 
measures concerning agricultural products under Regulation (EU) No 1144/20141 (hereinafter 
'the Regulation'). 

Article 2(1) of the Regulation states that “The general objective of the information provision 
and promotion measures is to enhance the competitiveness of the Union agricultural sector”. 
Article 2(2) of the Regulation states that “The specific objectives of the information provision 
and promotion measures are to:  

a)  increase  awareness  of  the  merits  of  Union  agricultural  products  and  of  the  high 

standards applicable to the production methods in the Union;  

b)  increase  the  competitiveness  and  consumption  of  Union  agricultural  products  and 
certain food products and to raise their profile both inside and outside the Union;  

c)  increase the awareness and recognition of Union quality schemes;  

d)  increase  the  market  share  of  Union  agricultural  products  and  certain  food  products, 
specifically focusing on those markets in third countries that have the highest growth 
potential;  

e)  restore  normal  market  conditions  in  the  event  of  serious  market  disturbance,  loss  of 

consumer confidence or other specific problems.”  

Information provision and promotion measures take the form of:  

a)  information and promotion programmes (hereinafter ‘programmes’), and 

b)  measures on the initiative of the Commission including developing technical support 

services to the sector. 

According  to  Article  26(1)  of  the  Regulation,  an  interim  report  on  the  application  of  the 
Regulation  shall  be  presented  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  by  31  December 
2018. The report should include the rate of uptake in different Member States, together with 
any appropriate proposals. 

1  

Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on 
information  provision  and  promotion  measures  concerning  agricultural  products  implemented  in  the 
internal  market  and  in  third  countries  and  repealing  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 3/2008  (OJ  L  317, 
4.11.2014, p.56) 

1 

 
 
                                                           
 
2. 

POLICY REFORM 

The  general  aid  scheme  for  promotion  of  agri-food  products  under  Regulation  (EC)  No 
3/20082  was  reformed  with  the  adoption  of  the  Regulation  (EU)  No  1144/2014  which  has 
been applicable from 1 December 2015.  

The  EU  helps  the  agro-food  sector  to  finance  information  and  promotion  campaigns.  By 
explaining  to  consumers  and  importers  the  high  standards  and  the  quality  of  EU  agri-food 
products, EU  promotion  programmes  can  support  European  producers  in  an  increasingly 
competitive  world.  With  the  generic  message  'Enjoy,  it´s  from  Europe',  the  policy  aims  to 
encourage  opening  up  of  new  markets,  to  diversify  trading  partners  and  to  raise  consumer 
awareness of the efforts made by European farmers.  

The main aspects of the reform were the following: 

  The new promotion policy benefits from a more substantial budget i.e. from EUR 60 

million in 2015 to EUR 200 million as of 2019.  

  The Union co-financing rates have been increased to 70 % for the simple programmes 
in the internal market, 80 % for the multi programmes and simple/multi programmes 
targeting third countries and 85% for programmes to restore normal market conditions 
in  the  event  of  serious  market  disturbance,  loss  of  consumer  confidence  or  other 
specific  problems.  There  is  also  a  5  percentage  point  top-up  for  beneficiaries  from 
Member States under financial assistance.  

  The  new  policy  is  based  on  a  genuine  strategy  established  at  EU  level,  with  the 
adoption  of  a  yearly  work  programme.  It  defines  strategic  priorities  and  their 
corresponding  budgets  for  the  promotion  policy  in  terms  of  populations,  products, 
schemes  or  markets  to  be  targeted  and  the  nature  of  the  information  and  promotion 
messages  to  be  disseminated.3  Additionally,  it  provides  for  specific  temporary 
arrangements  in  response  to  a  serious  market  disturbance  or  loss  of  consumer 
confidence. It also defines the criteria for the evaluation of the proposals. The annual 
work programme is implemented through the publication of calls for proposals. 

  The scope of eligible beneficiaries as well as of products has been enlarged. In order 
to allow a better return on investment, restricted mentioning of origin and displays of 
trade marks is now allowed, without jeopardising the generic nature of the promotion 
programmes.  

  The  promotion  programmes  should  demonstrate  a  European  dimension,  in  terms  of 
impact  and content, with  a main Union message, thereby  complementing  the actions 
implemented by Member States and the private sector. 

  Follow-up output, result and impact indicators have been defined to better evaluate the 

efficiency of the promotion measures.  

  Another important aspect of the reform is the simplification of the procedures: 

2  

3  

Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 3/2008  of  17  December  2007  on  information  provision  and  promotion 
measures for agricultural products on the internal market and in third countries (OJ L 3, 5.1.2008, p. 1). 

The  establishment  of  strategic  priorities  for  the  promotion  policy  was  a  recommendation  of  the 
European  Court  of  Auditors,  in  order  to  avoid  a  dispersion  of  resources  and  to  increase  Europe’s 
visibility through these information provision and promotion measures. 

2 

 
 
 
                                                           
 
 
-  some implementation tasks have been transferred from the Commission to the 
Consumers,  Health,  Agriculture  and  Food  Executive  Agency  (hereafter 
‘CHAFEA’) 4, for cost efficiency reasons;  

- 

- 

- 

- 

the administrative procedures have been simplified, by abolishing the two-step 
selection  procedure,  which  in  the  past  also  included  pre-selection  by  the 
Member States; 

the procedures have also been streamlined and professionalised. In response to 
the calls, programme proposals  are submitted electronically  and evaluated by 
CHAFEA  with  the  contribution  of  external  expert  evaluators,  specialized  in 
food and marketing;  

the Commission’s selection of the proposals is based on the evaluation carried 
out  by  external  evaluators  and  strictly  follows  the  ranking  of  the  proposals 
established by the evaluators; 

their 
the  multi  programmes  are  managed  by  CHAFEA 
management,  while  simple  programmes  continue  to  be  managed  by  the 
competent  national  authorities  under  shared  management.  The  Agency’s 
mandate  has  also  been  extended  with  the  coordination  of  measures  on  the 
initiative of the Commission, such as communication campaigns, participation 
in trade fairs, high-level missions. 

to  facilitate 

3.  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INFORMATION PROVISION AND PROMOTION 

MEASURES  

3.1  The annual work programme 

The annual work programme is an implementing decision5, where the Commission is assisted 
by the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets. 

The annual  work programme has proved to  be  an efficient  tool in  achieving a dynamic and 
targeted promotion policy; it is aligned each year with the evolving needs and opportunities of 
the sector, identifying priorities with a dedicated indicative budget amount.  

The Commission services have set up an open and consultative process in order to define the 
strategic priorities in terms of geographical markets, messages to be conveyed and sectors to 
be  promoted.  Market  priorities  are  based  on  the  objectives  of  the  Regulation,  which  is  to 
increase the number of activities aimed at third countries where there is the highest potential 
of growth.  In the internal market, the main objective is to inform consumers about the high 
standards  of  EU  products  and  the  EU  quality  schemes  and  the  associated  symbols,  namely 
organic  production,  protected  geographical  indications (PGI),  protected  designation  of 
origins (PDO),  traditional  speciality  guaranteed  (TSG),  ‘mountain  product’  and  the  logo  for 

4  

5  

2014/927/EU:  Commission  Implementing  Decision  of  17  December  2014  amending  Implementing 
Decision 2013/770/EU in order to transform the ‘Consumers, Health and Food Executive Agency’ into 
the ‘Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency’ (OJ L 363, 18.12.2014, p. 183) 

https://ec.europa.eu/info/promotion-eu-farm-products_en#annualworkprogramme 

3 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
Outermost  regions’ products  (ORs). For third countries, the Commission services  conduct  a 
macro-economic analysis on projected increase in imports, as well as a policy evaluation on 
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and expected removal of sanitary and phyto-sanitary barriers. 
Indeed,  promotion  programmes  can  help  lay  the  groundwork  for  potential  exports  to  third 
country  markets  already  in  advance  of  conclusion  or  entry  into  force  of  an  FTA.  The 
Commission  services  also  systematically  consult  in  writing  the  Member  States  through  the 
Committee  for  the  Common  Organisation  of  Agricultural  Markets  on  promotion.  They  also 
systematically consult the stakeholders through the Civil Dialogue Groups and receive many 
contributions from the agri-food sector and the socio-professional sector.6 

In addition, the policy has proved to be responsive in allocating dedicated ad hoc envelopes to 
sectors facing difficulties, such as dairy and pig meat in 2016 and 2017 or sheep/goat meat in 
2017.  The  promotion  programmes  proved  to  be  a  useful  tool  in  supporting  farmers  and  the 
agri-food sector in their endeavours to conquer new markets, gain market share and increase 
exports with the objective, in the mid-term, to restore the market situation.  

Lastly, thanks to the annual work programmes, the promotion aid scheme has also contributed 
to  other  wider  policy  objectives.  Notably,  it  reserved  a  dedicated  budget  to  co-finance 
programmes  on  sustainable  agriculture,  thus  supporting  the  Commission's  efforts  towards 
contributing to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. It 
also reserved dedicated envelopes to co-finance programmes to encourage healthy eating and 
dietary practices, in line with the Commission's strategy on nutrition, overweight, obesity and 
other related health issues.  

3.2  The promotion programmes 

3.2.1  Introduction 

A promotion programme is a coherent set of operations aiming to inform on, or to promote a 
product/sector/scheme. It is implemented over a period of at least one but not more than three 
years. It can include, for instance, advertising campaigns in the press, on television, on radio 
or  on  the  Internet;  point-of-sale  promotions;  public  relations  campaigns;  participation  in 
exhibitions and fairs, and a range of other activities.  It  can be a  B2B (business to  business) 
campaign or B2C (business to consumer) campaign.  

There  are  two  types  of  promotion  programmes.  A  simple  programme  is  a  promotion 
programme submitted by one or more proposing organisations from the same Member State. 
A multi programme is a programme submitted by at least two proposing organisations from at 
least two Member States or one or more EU level organisations.  

3.2.2  Statistics on the calls for proposals 

The  Commission  Staff  Working  Document  accompanying  this  report  gives  more  detailed 
information  on  the  grants  awarded  during  the  reporting  period,  including  in  particular  the 

6  

For instance Copa Cogeca, Europatat, Interbev, Arelfh, Epha, FoodDrinkEurpe, Freshfel, Interfel, Cdl, 
Ceev, Clitravi Via Campesina, Flowers Auctions, Slow food, AVEC. 

4 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
  
number  of  successful  applications  per  Member  State.  CHAFEA’s  website  also  contains 
detailed statistics on the calls.7 

In 2016 – the first year of the implementation of the reformed promotion policy – CHAFEA 
received  226  proposals  (199  for  simple  and  27  for  multi  programmes)  following  the 
publication of the calls for proposals.8  

The  highest  number  of  proposals  under  the  call  for  proposals  for  simple  programmes  were 
submitted  by  organisations  from  Italy  and  Greece.  No  proposals  were  received  from 
Luxemburg, Malta and Sweden.  

After  the  reallocation  of  unused  budget  in  line  with  the  annual  work  programme  and 
reallocation  of  the  budget  allocated  for  serious  market  disturbance,  in  accordance  with  the 
rules  announced  in  the  annual  work  programme,  a  total  of  60  simple  programmes  were 
selected.  

Proposals from 16 Member States were approved. The largest number of beneficiaries were 
from  Italy  (10),  followed  by  8  beneficiaries  from  France  and  8  from  Greece.  No  proposals 
were  accepted  from  applicants  in  9  Member  States  (Bulgaria,  Cyprus,  Czech  Republic, 
Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and United Kingdom). 25% of the budget was 
allocated to selected programmes from Italy, 17.4% for the Greek programmes and 9.6% for 
the French programmes. 

14 programmes promoted ‘Fruit and vegetables’ absorbing 30.1 % of the budget, while mixed 
products (13 programmes) received almost a quarter of the available budget. Meat and meat 
preparations (12 programmes) account for 17.1% of the budget, followed by dairy products: 7 
proposals with 14.8% of the budget. Multi programme proposed by the United Kingdom and 
Denmark promoting organic production took half of the available budget.  
Following the publication of the  2017 calls  for proposals9, 189 proposals  for simple and 35 
proposals for multi programmes were submitted.  

The highest number of proposals for simple programmes was submitted by organisations from 
Italy,  Greece  and  France.  No  proposals  were  received  from  Estonia,  Finland,  Luxemburg, 
Malta and Slovakia. 

The meat and dairy sectors were strongly represented due to the specific topics in the annual 
work programme (42.1% of the total requested funding); 'mixed products' proposals were also 
numerous  due  to  the  required  basket  approach  for  wine  (around  20%  of  the  requested 
funding). 

7  

8  

9  

https://ec.europa.eu/chafea/agri/content/previous-programmes  

2016  Call  for  proposals  —  Simple  programmes  —  Information  provision  and  promotion  measures 
concerning  agricultural  products  implemented  in  the  internal  market  and  in  third  countries  in 
accordance  with  Regulation  (EU)  No  1144/2014  (OJ  C  41,  4.2.2016,  p.  4–19)  and  2016  Call  for 
proposals  —  Multi  programmes  —  Grants  to  Information  provision  and  promotion  measures 
concerning  agricultural  products  implemented  in  the  internal  market  and  in  third  countries  in 
accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 (OJ C 41, 4.2.2016, p. 20–32). 

2017  Call  for  proposals  —  Simple    and  Multi  programmes  —  Grants  to  information  provision  and 
promotion  measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal  market and in third 
countries  in  accordance  with  Regulation  (EU)  No  1144/2014  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council (OJ C 9, 12.1.2017, p. 7–22 and OJ C 9, 12.1.2017, p. 23–37). 

5 

 
 
                                                           
 
 
 
After the reallocation of the budget for actions in case of serious market disturbance and the 
reallocation  of  unused  budget  in  line  with  the  annual  work  programme,  5310  simple 
programmes and 1011 multi programmes were selected. 

Organisations from France received 17 grants (from 23 applications submitted) out of the 53 
proposals  awarded for simple programmes, in  total  corresponding to  36% of the budget.  10 
grants  (16 applications) representing 29% of the budget  were awarded to  beneficiaries from 
Spain. While applicants from Italy and Greece submitted the highest number of proposals (36 
and  30  respectively),  they  received  4  grants  each.  Beneficiaries  from  France  were  the 
coordinators of half of the selected multi programmes. 

The  highest  share  of  the  budget  for  the  simple  programmes  (23.1%)  was  allocated  to  10 
programmes  which  promote  the  ‘basket  of  products’  approach.  It  was  followed  closely  by 
dairy products with 9 programmes and 22.1% of the budget. 3 programmes targeted olive oil 
and  received  16.5%  of  the  budget,  13.1%  was  allocated  to  the  promotion  of  fruit  and 
vegetables  (8 programmes). Almost  19% of the  budget  was allocated  for promotion  of fruit 
and vegetables by multi programmes, while multi programme promoting sheep and goat meat 
received 18% of the budget. 

For the 2018 promotion programmes, the grant agreements were not yet signed at the time of 
drafting of this report.  Therefore, only the submission  statistics and the selection results are 
hereby presented.  

CHAFEA received 182 proposals (146 for simple, 36 for multi) following the publication of 
the calls.12 

The  highest  number  of  proposals  for  simple  programmes  was  submitted  by  organisations  
from Italy, France and Greece. No applications were received from Austria, Estonia, Slovakia, 
Malta, Sweden, Luxemburg, Croatia and Hungary.  

Proposals  to  promote  fruit  and  vegetables  requested  27%  of  the  available  budget,  meat  and 
meat products 17% and dairy products 14%, in total they amount to 58% the EU contribution. 
'Mixed products' proposals were also numerous due to the required basket approach for wine 
(28% of the budget). 

After the reallocation of the budget for actions in case of serious market disturbance and the 
reallocation  of  unused  budget  in  lien  with  the  annual  work  programme,  58  proposals  for 
simple programmes were approved. 

Pending  signature  of  the  grant  agreements,  it  is  envisaged  that  Italian  organisations  would 
receive  18  grants  out  of  58  grants  in  total  (and  out  of  31  proposals  submitted  by  Italian 
organisations) corresponding to 35% of the budget. Applicants from France would receive 11 
grants  (20  applications)  with  almost  14%  of  the  budget.  Third  in  terms  of  the  number  of 
selected  programmes  and  share  of  EU  contribution  would  be  applicants  from  Greece,  with 

10  

11  

12  

Grant agreement for one approved programme has not been signed thus allowing to grant the first two 
programme proposals from the reserve list in Annex II to Commission Implementing Decision C(2017) 
6934. 

Allocation of addition budget allowed funding an additional proposal from the reserve list.  

OJ C 9, 12.1.2018, p. 15–31 and p. 32–49.  

6 

 
 
                                                           
 
 
 
applicants  from  Spain  in  fourth  place.  Applicants  from  Germany,  Finland,  Latvia  and 
Slovenia did not get any grant approval. 

It is envisaged the fruit and vegetables sector with 17 applications is to receive 31,2% of the 
budget, meat  and meat preparation 22,7% (12 grants), cheese and dairy  products 19.5% (13 
grants)  and  basket  of  products  19.2%  of  the  available  budget  (10  grants).  The  four  sectors 
account for the majority of the programmes evaluated to receive a grant and account for the 
lion’s share of the available budget.  

It  is  envisaged  21  proposals  for  multi  programmes  are  to  be  awarded  a  grant,  15  of  them 
targeting the internal market. Beneficiaries from France and Italy are the coordinators of four 
programmes each; organisations from Belgium and Greece will each be coordinators for 3 of 
the selected multi programmes. 

It is envisaged that wine, cider and vinegar programmes will account for 26% of the budget, 
cheese  and  dairy  products  21%  while  basket  of  products  and  fruit  and  vegetables  will  each 
receive 18% of the available budget.   

3.2.3  Overview of the calls for proposals 

The  high  number  of  proposals  received  after  the  publications  of  the  calls  for  proposals  in 
2016, 2017 and 2018 indicates a genuine interest in the scheme. In addition, participants have 
massively welcomed the simplification of the submission procedure and the tools available to 
help applicants to submit a proposal. 

The proposals are evaluated by 3 independent experts against the different criteria in the calls. 
All eligible proposals are ranked according to the total number of points awarded. The highest 
ranked  proposal  or  proposals  are  to  be  awarded  co-financing,  depending  on  budget 
availability. The Agency does not deviate from the panel ranked lists nor has the Commission 
done  so  in  the  case  of  the  selection  of  simple  programmes.  Neither  the  annual  work 
programmes  nor  the  calls  for  proposals  include  the  distribution  of  the  budget  between  the 
Member States among the award criteria.  

The  selection  of  the  proposals  depends  on  the  quality  of  the  proposals  i.e.  how  well  the 
criteria in the calls have been addressed. Another important factor that influences the success 
of proposals is also the level of competition in the topic within which they were submitted.  

Statistics  on  the  type  of  participants  show  that  not  only  the  well-known  inter-trade 
organisations  are  participating,  but  also  a  high  number  of  producer  organisations  or 
associations  of  producer  organisations,  groups  of  producers  and  processors  active  in 
geographical indications, etc. 

The  first  promotion  materials  received  from  implemented  programmes  indicate  that 
campaigns have a genuine main Union message, thereby increasing EU visibility. Messages 
provide  information  on  European  production  standards,  the  quality  and  safety  of  European 
products,  the  EU  quality  schemes,  thereby  showing  an  added  value  for  a  EU  promotion 
policy. 

7 

 
 
 
The details on selected programmes (names of beneficiaries, budget, product sector, targeted 
countries,  messages,  statistics)  can  be  found  on  CHAFEA’s  website.13  It  also  showcases 
examples 14 of campaigns, with visuals, pictures of the implemented actions, first results, etc. 

3.3  Measures on the initiative of the Commission 

The measures on the initiative of the Commission include high-level missions, participation in 
trade  fairs  and  exhibitions  of  international  importance  by  means  of  stands,  or  operations 
aimed at enhancing the image of Union products, including communication campaigns. They 
also include the development of technical support services. 

3.3.1  High level missions 

typically 

include  high-level  political  meetings 

High-level  missions  aim  to  facilitate  market  access  for  European  agri-food  products.  Such 
missions 
the 
Commission and an intensive business related programme   for leading representatives of EU 
exporters  and  the  agro-food  sector.  The  political  agenda  generally  includes  discussions  on 
trade  agreements,  trade  and  market  access  issues,  sanitary  and  phytosanitary  (hereinafter 
‘SPS’)  and  technical  barriers  to  trade  (hereinafter  ‘TBT’)  issues,  discussions  on  organic 
production,  geographical  indications,  etc.  Business  activities  most  often  concentrate  on 
improving market intelligence through targeted seminars and workshops, retail visits and site 
visits, which are typically complemented by B2B meetings or business fora.  

involving  members  of 

Participants  in  these  missions  are  selected  via  calls  for  applications,  on  the  basis  of  several 
criteria,  particularly  geographical  and  sectoral  balance,  balance  between  SMEs  and  bigger 
companies; national and European umbrella organisations. 

Since  the  entry  into  force  of  the  Regulation,  the  Commission  implemented  the  following 
promotion actions on its own initiative: 

  High  Level  Mission  to  Colombia  and  Mexico  (42  business  representatives  from  14 

Member States), 7-12 February 2016; 

  High  Level  Mission  to  China  and  Japan  (45  business  delegates  from  15  Member 

States), 16-22 April 2016; 

  High  Level  Mission  to  Vietnam  (42  participants),  Singapore  (36  participants)  and 

Indonesia (38 participants), 2-9 November 2016; 

  High Level Mission to Canada (60 participants), 30 April – 3 May 2017; 

  High Level Mission to Iran (42 participants) and Saudi Arabia (44 participants), 7-13 

November 2017; 

  High Level Mission to China (65 business delegates), 14-19 May 2018. 

After each mission, the Commission services conducted a survey among participants to assess 
the  results  and  impact.  The  average  satisfaction  rate  among  business  delegates  is  generally 
above 90%. A majority of the business delegates confirmed that contacts established during 

13  

14  

https://ec.europa.eu/CHAFEA/agri/campaigns/map-and-statistics-target-countries 

https://ec.europa.eu/CHAFEA/agri/content/info-day-calls-proposals-2018  

8 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
the  mission  facilitated  their  business  and  that  they  contributed  to  the  advancement  of  their 
business goals.   

3.3.2  EU  pavilions  at  major  international  agriculture  food,  beverage  and 
hospitality fairs 

The  Commission  organises  EU  pavilions  at  selected  major  international  agriculture,  food, 
beverage  and  hospitality  fairs  in  order  to  showcase  the  excellence  of  European  agri-food 
products. 

  EU Pavilion at SIAL Canada in Toronto, 2-4 May 2017; 

  EU Pavilion at SIAL Middle East, 12-14 December 2017; 

  EU Pavilion at SIAL China, 16-18 May 2018. 

3.3.3  SPS Information  seminars 

SPS  information  seminars  typically  take  place  with  target  groups  of  government  officials, 
major  importers,  retailers  and  distributors  as  well  as  specialised  journalists  mainly  in  third 
countries.  These  events  are  designed  as  part  of  the  promotion  policy  to  explain  and 
disseminate information on EU SPS food safety standards, with a view to boosting agri-food 
exports. These SPS promotion-related seminars may be accompanied by product displays and 
culinary  demonstrations  to  showcase  the  EU’s  high  production  standards  as  well  as  its  rich 
culinary  heritage.  So  far,  the  Commission  organised  a  seminar  in  Korea  on  20-21  March 
2018. 

3.3.4  Communication campaigns 

Communication  campaigns  primarily  aim  to  follow  up  on  different  promotion  activities 
already undertaken in a given target country (most notably high-level missions) or to engage 
with  target  audiences  in  countries  yet  to  receive  an  EU-led  business  delegation.  They  are 
designed to promote EU agri-food. 

3.3.5  The technical support services 

Technical  support  consists  of  providing  relevant  information  on  the  dedicated  portal  and 
organising events and other communication activities.  

A  portal  has  been  created  with  a  view  of  helping  potential  applicants  understand  the 
promotion policy and different aspects of proposal submission. It also provides best practice 
examples, as well as information related to all co-funded programmes since 2014. In addition, 
the portal contains a platform helping potential applicants seeking partners for multi-applicant 
proposals. As a second objective, the portal encourages the awareness of different markets by 
providing tailor-made market intelligence reports and other relevant information covering key 
target countries listed in the annual work programmes, such as information on market access, 
SPS regulations, protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) etc.  

There  are  currently  over  1,200  EU  agri-food  stakeholders  who  are  registered  users  of  the 
portal, the majority (close to 1000) also opt to receive monthly newsletters. The portal enjoys 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
a  relatively  steady  number  of  visits  (between  2.000  and  4000),  which  increases  up  to  8000 
during  the  calls  for  proposals'  submission  period.  There  are  currently  eight  Market  Entry 
Handbooks available on the portal, covering Canada, Vietnam, Indonesia, Iran, China, Saudi 
Arabia, Japan and Singapore which are downloaded between 40 and 200 times a year.  

Six  webinars  are  currently  available  on  the  portal,  covering  topics  related  to  submission  or 
agri-food exports. On average, around 60 participants take part in the webinars and they are 
subsequently viewed 50-100 times per month.  

During  the  call  submission  period,  from  January  to  April  each  year,  CHAFEA’s  helpdesk  
replies  to  email  questions  concerning  the  call  conditions.  In  2018,  CHAFEA  received  200 
emails  with  272  questions.  The  average  time  for  sending  out  a  reply  is  1,8  working  days. 
Frequently asked questions are also available on the portal, featuring weekly updates during 
the proposals' submission period. 

Each  year evaluation questionnaires were sent out to the applicants following the closure of 
the  call  in  order  to  seek  advice  on  potential  areas  for  improvement.  In  2018,  22%  of  the 
applicants  provided  feedback.  79%  of  respondents  were  satisfied  with  the  electronic 
submission,  76%  considered  that  the  evaluation  criteria  were  clearly  explained.  The  vast 
majority (86%) of the calls documents provided were considered useful or very useful. 

CHAFEA actively contributed to the communication on the promotion policy by organising 
an  Info  Day  each  year  in  Brussels15  (176  participants  in  2016,  230  in  2017,  230  in  2018). 
More than 30 Info 
days  were  also  organised  in  different  Member  States,  each  of  them 
attended by 15-70 participants.16   

4. 

CONCLUSION  

In  the  light  of  the  statistics  on  applications  concerning  promotion  programmes,  the 
participation 
in  High  Level  Missions  since  2016,  and  feedback  from  evaluation 
questionnaires, there is a high interest in the reformed promotion policy.  

In addition, the evaluation procedures for promotion programmes have proved to be efficient, 
as  far  as  submission,  evaluation  and  implementation  of  the  measures  are  concerned. 
Moreover, many stakeholders have expressed overall satisfaction with the reformed policy.  

Since  the  reformed  promotion  policy  can  be  evaluated  only  as  from  2016,  it  is  considered 
premature  at  this  stage  to  propose  amendments.  In  the  context  of  the  report  required  under 
Article 26(2) of the Regulation, for which an external evaluation study is being launched 17  it 
will  be  considered  in  due  time  whether  this  report  will  be  accompanied  by  any  appropriate 
proposals. 

15  

16  

17  

https://ec.europa.eu/CHAFEA/agri/newsroom-and-events/events 

https://ec.europa.eu/CHAFEA/agri/newsroom-and-events/events/info-days-member-states-calls-
proposals-2018  

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiatives/ares-2018-2665311_en  

10