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Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, is visiting China and Japan in the coming days accompanied by a business delegation of more than 60 senior European agri-food executives representing key sectors in the EU trade with the two countries. As well as supporting a number of promotion events in Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo to help facilitate agri-food trade, the Commissioner will meet with the respective Ministers and national authorities in order to address common interests relating to agriculture and ongoing bilateral issues.
With China, discussions are likely to cover Geographical Indications, research and innovation, rural development and organic farming, and, with Japan, the state of play of the FTA negotiations. A number of sanitary and phytosanitary issues and other impediments to smooth trade flows will also be raised. The visit to Japan will end with the G7 meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Niigata.
The trip comes following the entry into force of new EU promotion rules for EU agricultural products, which provide an increased budget for promotion and a simpler application system. It also follows on from his visit to Columbia and Mexico earlier in the year, with a further journey to Viet Nam and Indonesia planned in the second half of the year.
Friday April 15, 2016/ EC-Agriculture and Rural Development/ European Union.
http://europa.eu/rapid/
