ANAFRIC, the Spanish meat association, conveys to the Government its concern about the decision of the European Commission to cut by half the budget allocated to the Annual Work Program for 2025 of the EU Promotion Policy for agricultural products. “We consider a total budget of 92 million euros for the annual program to be insufficient, compared to 185.9 million euros in 2024, and we do not see it as coherent for the multi-agri-food promotion programs to be suspended. The EU’s multi-programs have demonstrated their effectiveness and value, with demand increasing by more than 50% in 2024.”
José Friguls, president of ANAFRIC, has expressed his discomfort in a letter sent to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, to whom he has conveyed “the urgent need to maintain a solid budget for the EU promotion policy.”
Friguls asks the ministry: “Support the continuation of this inclusive policy and we ask you to propose increasing the planned budget and guaranteeing a budget for the MULTI programs, without cutting SIMPLE programs.”
For Friguls, this European strategy “will have negative repercussions on the EU’s agricultural trade balance,” explains the president of the association for whom the EU’s decision is “totally counterproductive, when faced with increasing global competition.” In this sense, ANAFRIC gives the example of the United States, “a country that is strengthening its budget to promote agricultural and food exports, allocating 300 million dollars, which highlights the urgent need for the EU to maintain a competitive advantage in the world market.
What are the EU multi programs
Multi-programmes are fundamental for promotion policy due to their European dimension and their ability to forge partnerships between organizations from different Member States. “Eliminating funding for multiple programs (0 euros), as proposed by the EC, would deprive the policy of its European dimension and would disadvantage smaller countries and beneficiaries who depend on the funding available to carry out promotion and will also eliminate valuable opportunities to open new markets during high-level missions in third countries.
The recent rebound in the number of applications submitted for multiple calls in 2024 (+52%) is revealing of the confidence that producers have in the programs.
