Press releases

EU-AU Agriculture Ministerial Conference: Together for recovery and sustainable growth

Brussels, 22 June 2021 - spiritsEUROPE warmly welcomes the organisation of the 4^th EU-AU Agriculture Ministerial conference on 22 June 2021, an important moment for leaders and businesses on both sides to step up their cooperation during this challenging time defined by the global pandemic.

We urge leaders on both continents to work closely on a common agenda that would deliver speedy recovery post COVID-19 and would contribute to growth, jobs and sustainable development.

Addressing spiritsEUROPE priorities for EU-Africa relations would allow our sector to contribute to the overall recovery and growth objectives of our shared agenda.

We call on EU & AU leaders to:  

• Negotiate, modernise and fully implement existing EU-Africa EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements) to boost economic ties between our continents. Meaningful tariff liberalization for EU sectors should be part of it;
• Enforce commitments under EPAs and international trade rules;
• Complete regional and continental trade integration in Africa, e.g. full implementation of the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area), for businesses to benefit from the opportunity of a well-functioning trade area;
• Step up the fight against illicit trade, which comes with significant economic & public health consequences, and to improve the ease of doing business conditions, to stimulate investment in the region;
• Protect GIs and promote regulatory cooperation to encourage the development of high-quality products with high standards of food safety and traceability;
• Enhance Public-private consultation and dialogue with the private sector.

spiritsEUROPE welcomes the establishment of an AU-EU Agri-food Platform to unlock the potential of the agri-food industries. To deliver the best possible results, we would urge the Commission to implement AU-EU Agri-food Platforms in countries that are identified as priorities by agri-food businesses.  

spiritsEUROPE stands ready to contribute with practical ideas about how to improve the business climate, to ensure the agri-business sector’s development delivers economic and societal benefits on the African continent.

Click here for the spiritsEUROPE Africa Strategy (June 2020)