During the last month AREPO has participated to the first meetings of the Civil Dialogue Groups (CDGs) on Quality and Promotion, Rural Development and Organic Farming held in Brussels. The CDGs assist the Commission and help to hold a regular dialogue on all matters relating to the common agricultural policy, including rural development, and its implementation.
In December 2013 the Commission set up this new framework for social dialogue, with a view to increase transparency and provide for a better balancing of represented interests and to be more in line with the new CAP and the new structure of DG AGRI.
In order to assure a continuative focus on the GIs and quality products in the CDGs, AREPO experts participated to the meeting presenting the valuable experience of our members. AREPO affirms that it’s important to protect and support EU quality products for their positive impact on rural development, especially in disadvantaged areas. For this reason, support and promotion of quality products should be strengthen in Rural Development Programmes (RDPs), currently under negotiation, activating direct measures with adequate resources and defining horizontal priorities across the RDPs.
On November 21th, the first CDG on quality and promotion gave an opportunity to debate and discuss on current EU policies for quality products. The priority of Commissioner Hogan for his first year of mandate will be the simplification of the EU quality policy. Restarting from past analysis and impact assessments, the EC will re-launch the consultation process with stakeholders and member states to discuss the scope of the review, in order to provide a simpler and single approach at the EU level. Another important point in the agenda was the update on the reform of promotion policy and the implementation of the new promotion measure in the RDPs. Moreover the Commission informed the stakeholders on the state of play of Geographical Indication protection for non-agricultural products at EU level and on GIs protection on internet (click here for the agenda and the EC presentations).
The CDG on rural development (28 November 2014) was the occasion to discuss with the Commission on the state of play of the partnership agreements and rural development programming and on the structure and organization of ENRD and of the EIP-network 2014-2020 (click here for the agenda and the EC presentations).
Finally, in occasion of the CDG on organic farming (2 December 2014) the stakeholders were informed about the action plan on organic agriculture and RDP measure in support of organic and exchanged view with the Commission on the review of the organic regulation that is currently at stake (click here for the agenda and the EC presentations).
