OVERALL OBJECTIVE

The overall objective of the project is to improve conditions for the EU food and drink industry to access the markets of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. To achieve this objective the project proposes to work towards facilitating regulatory cooperation on SPS issues (food safety, plant health and animal health) amongst the key actors of the sector who are: the authorities of EU Member States and that of the targeted countries (China, India, etc.), as well as with the representatives of the producers and exporters in Europe.

The project strives towards removing and avoiding unjustified restrictions to trade that result from sanitary and phytosanitary control measures. The central part of the dialogue activities will have to involve closely the central competent authorities of the selected countries, the relevant Directorate-Generals of the European Commission, the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments Regional Team for Asia & Pacific (FPI RT), Competent Authorities of EU Member States and representatives of the EU Business Operators. It is clear for this Consortium that one of the key success factors of this project is to ensure an adequate mobilisation amongst these stakeholders.

 

PURPOSE

The purposes of this project are as follows:

• Strengthen the regulatory dialogue between the EU and targeted Asian governments on (phyto-) sanitary and food safety-related issues and establish an avenue for cooperation between the administrations and EU Commission, Member States and industry together.
• Ensure the respect of the international standards on regionalisation and regulatory harmonisation in Asia and agree on the recognition of regionalisation measures taken by the EU to maintain trade in the event of an animal disease outbreak.
• Promote the acceptance of listing or pre-listing establishments upon guarantees provided by the exporting government and without prior inspection by the importing party (so-called pre-listing).
• Promote market access for European stakeholders, through the identification and dissemination of market information on Asian food and drink markets in targeted countries.

 

RESULTS TO BE ACHIEVED

• Enhance knowledge and information-exchange between the EU and governments of the selected Asian countries in the area of animal health, plant health and food safety regulation, which is an area of shared interest.
• Raise the awareness of EU business operators, Member States and Commission on regulatory developments in the region that may have an impact on trade of EU food and drink products, which is a fast-growing and economically significant sector.
• Support efforts of regulatory harmonisation in Asia through exchange of knowledge and good practices implemented by EU Member States and the European Commission under the harmonised food law.
• Improve capacity of EU business operators to gain access to Asian markets.

 

The project is funded by the European Commission and implemented by AETS consortium