Following the European Commission's approval of the 2020 work programme, €200.9 million has been allocated for 2020 to support promotional activities for European agri-food products within the EU and in non-EU markets.

The objectives of this European policy for promoting agri-food products are manifold: primarily, to assist the sector in taking advantage of expansion into other markets, to raise awareness of quality schemes – including organic products – and to support producers in the event of market disruption.

Operationally, more than half of the budget (€118 million) is earmarked for campaigns targeting non-EU markets with strong growth potential, such as Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and the United States. Eligible sectors include dairy products, olive oil and table olives, and wine. The selected campaigns aim to increase competitiveness, boost the consumption of these European products, and grow their market share in the aforementioned countries.

Furthermore, the campaigns will inform European and international consumers about various EU quality schemes and labels, such as Geographical Indications or organic products, as well as the high safety and quality standards within the European Union.

The calls for proposals for the 2020 campaigns will be published in January and are open to a wide range of bodies, such as producer organisations, trade organisations and agri-food groups responsible for promotional activities, which may then apply for co-financing.

For 2020, €100 million is allocated to so-called simple programmes – those submitted by one or more organisations from the same EU country – while €91.4 million is allocated to multi-programmes – those submitted by at least two national organisations from at least two Member States, or by one or more European organisations.

A further €9 million is allocated to Commission initiatives, such as participation in trade fairs and communication campaigns, as well as diplomatic actions led by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development with the participation of business delegations; this figure is in addition to a further €17.2 million available from the 2019 multi-promotion programmes.

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