Ahead of the European Parliament’s plenary vote on an own-initiative report on EU agri-food promotion policy, the ECR Group is calling for a simpler, fairer and more commercially focused system that helps European farmers and producers reach new markets without discriminating against particular sectors.

ECR Shadow Rapporteur Claudiu-Richard Târziu said EU promotion policy should make funding more accessible to small producers, SMEs and cooperatives, while ensuring that farmers and producers from across Europe have a fair opportunity to benefit.

“European farmers produce some of the highest-quality food in the world. Our promotion policy should help them sell it, both inside Europe and on international markets, instead of making access to support unnecessarily complicated,” Târziu said.

For the ECR Group, promotion policy should strengthen competitiveness, support exports and showcase the quality and diversity of European agricultural products. Simpler procedures and fairer access to funding are essential to ensure that producers across Europe can benefit, including those in underrepresented Member States and regions.

“European producers need clear rules, simpler applications and less administrative burden. We want promotion funding to be easier to access and to reach more producers across Europe, with a fairer balance between East and West,” Târziu said.

The ECR Group also rejects attempts to use EU promotion policy to favour some food sectors over others, including efforts to exclude meat from support.

“Brussels should not decide that one European agricultural product deserves promotion while another does not because it has fallen out of political fashion. Meat, dairy, wine, fruit, vegetables and other high-quality European products all form part of our agricultural economy and heritage. Producers should be treated fairly,” Târziu said.