AGRICULTURE : EXEC APPROVES MEASURES TO PROMOTE AGRI PRODUCTS OUTSIDE EU.

Ten national information and promotion programmes for European Union agricultural products to third countries were approved, on 30 November, by the European Commission. Of 20 programmes submitted, ten were accepted from France, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Romania. The projects covered all have protected origin status: wines, fruits and vegetable, meat, spirits, olive oil and organic products. The EU's contribution is 11.1 million, or 50% of the total programme budget.

The EU can co-financeameasures to provide information on, and to promote, agricultural products in third countries. These efforts can take the form ofapublic relations, promotional or publicity measures, in particular highlighting the advantages of EU products, especially in terms of quality, hygiene, food safety, nutrition, labelling, animal welfare or environment-friendliness. These measures can amongst others also cover participation at events and fairs, information campaigns on the EU system of protected designations of origin (PDOs), protected geographical indications (PGIs) and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSGs) and organic farming. Also possible are information campaigns on the EU system of quality wines produced in specified regions (QWPSR) and studies of new markets.

The methods of application of these efforts are defined by the European Commission under Regulation 501/2008 of 5 June 2008.

Further information is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 261950