The European Commission today (3 August) announced it will provide an extra €30m to promote EU agricultural products across Europe and beyond next year in a bid to offset EU producer losses caused by Russia's produce embargo.
This sum comes on top of the total €60m earmarked by the EC for annual agri-promotions (awarded in two parts), and must be matched by contributions from producer organisations, the EC said in a statement.
Producer organisations wishing to obtain funds from this extra €30mmust submit their promotional programmes to the EC by the end of this month (September), and match the amount they wish to receive. The money will be released at the start of 2015.
'The point we want to make is that we are increasing the promotional funding available to those who have lost markets in Russia, and who have got their programmes in place by the end of September,' Roger Waite from the EC press office told Fruitnet.
Confirming the extra funding, EU Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development Dacian Cioloș said: 'Promotion programmes are one of the Common Agriculture Policy instruments which can be used over the medium term to address the market difficulties expected in several sectors as a result of the Russian ban, helping producers to find new sales outlets within and outside the EU.
'Today's change means that €60m of EU funding is available for promotion projects submitted by the end of this month. I strongly encourage agricultural organisations to make the most of this opportunity and to present ambitious promotion schemes in the coming weeks.'
This announcement comes in addition to market support measures for peaches and nectarines (€33m) and other perishable fruit and vegetables (€125m) already implemented.
Each year the EU sets aside some€60m for co-financing promotion programmes, awarded in two parts, at the end of September and end of February.
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