Agricultural products: information and promotion on the internal market and in third countries; delegated and implementing powers of the Commission

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development adopted the report by José BOVÉ (Greens/EFA, FR) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 3/2008 on information provision and promotion measures for agricultural products on the internal market and in third countries.

The committee recommends that the position of the European Parliament adopted in first reading, following the ordinary legislative procedure, should amend the Commission proposal as follows:

Alignment on the TFEU (Commission’s delegated and implementing acts): the proposed amendments reflect the horizontal approach (positions or wordings) of the institutions or the European Parliament’s position of other alignment acts. The Commission shall adopt delegated acts:

• determining the characteristics of information and promotion programmes and the procedures for and period of their implementation;
• determining the characteristics and purposes of information and promotion messages, as well as the target groups for information and promotion campaigns;
• amending the themes and products set out in the Regulation and the third countries concerned;
• defining further priorities for the selection of programmes, such as giving priority to organic products and to information and promotion programmes regarding agricultural products with PDO/ PGI and TSG classifications at Union level.

Information and promotion messages: in third countries, in respect of products included under PDO/ PGI and TSG designations at Union level, Members propose that the measures may also take the following forms:

• promoting the protection of designation of origin and geographical indications, compliance monitoring and information for third countries;
• supporting the Member State authorities in monitoring compliance and the correct implementation of Union framework provisions;
• information and legal assistance for interested parties regarding better legal protection of PDO/PGI designations in third countries and issues arising from misappropriation of such designations.

Strategy for information and promotion programmes: the rules to be followed shall provide general indications, in particular concerning : (i) one or more themes to be the subject of the measures selected for the promotion and information initiative, depending on the intended target group of that initiative; (ii) the types of measures and the procedures to be implemented.

Consultation: before adopting delegated or implementing acts, the Commission shall consult producer organisations not forming part of ad hoc working groups and representing, in particular, designation-of-origin and similar protected products.

Annex: the list of themes and products as well as the list of third country markets in which promotional measures may be carried out was incorporated as an Annex in the basis act as it is estimated as an essential element of this regulation. This annex reflects the current lists in Annex I (parts) and Annex II of the Commission Regulation (EC) No. 501/2008.