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European Liaison Committee for Agriculture and agri-food trade

Celcaa

CELCAA represents European agri-commodity and agri-food traders to EU institutions on trade and agriculture policy.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Fabien Gehl (Head of Unit Trade)

20 Oct 2025 · Meeting with CELCAA, CEEV and Eucolait

Meeting with Maroš Šefčovič (Commissioner) and

11 Jul 2025 · Implementation dialogue on customs legislation - Rules of origin

Meeting with Christophe Kiener (Head of Unit Trade)

1 Jul 2025 · Trade negotiations in South East Asia, India, Australia

Meeting with Veronika Vrecionová (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair)

13 May 2025 · Introductory meeting

Meeting with Paolo Garzotti (Acting Director Trade)

8 May 2025 · Discussions on the EU-Mercosur Agreement and its implications, with a focus on agriculture, SPS measures, and the EU Deforestation Regulation

Meeting with Frank Bollen (Head of Unit Agriculture and Rural Development)

14 Apr 2025 · Review of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA)

Meeting with Gijs Schilthuis (Director Agriculture and Rural Development)

7 Apr 2025 · Exchange of views on food trade and its contribution to environmental sustainability in view of the current geopolitical and trade situation.

Meeting with Pierre Bascou (Deputy Director-General Agriculture and Rural Development) and Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins and

17 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views on the Vision for the Future of Agriculture and agri-food trade.

Meeting with Christophe Hansen (Commissioner) and

17 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views on the Vision for the Future of Agriculture and agri-food trade

Meeting with Claire Bury (Deputy Director-General Health and Food Safety)

4 Mar 2025 · The Vision on Agriculture and Food

Meeting with Catherine Combette (Head of Unit Agriculture and Rural Development) and Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins and Union Européenne du Commerce du Bétail et des Métiers de la Viande

28 Jan 2025 · Exchange of views on the on-going trade negotiations in the Indo-Pacific region

Meeting with Elisabetta Siracusa (Director Agriculture and Rural Development) and Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins and

28 Jan 2025 · Introduction of CELCAA’s new President and exchange of views on recent developments on international agricultural trade.

Meeting with Tomas Baert (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen) and European farmers and

3 Dec 2024 · Trade tensions - strategic thinking for agri-food trade

Meeting with Florika Fink-Hooijer (Director-General Environment) and Comité du commerce des céréales, aliments du bétail, oléagineux, huile d'olive, huiles et graisses et agrofournitures de l'U.E.

6 Mar 2024 · Short Introduction CELCAA and Policy Recommendations Strategic Dialogue on the future of Agriculture

CELCAA urges EU to prioritize sustainable agri-food trade policies

13 Mar 2023
Topic — The consultation focuses on strengthening Europe’s sustainability goals and strategic autonomy by 2050.
Message — CELCAA recommends creating an objective taskforce to debate sustainable agri-food trade across multiple disciplines. They call for policies that use incentives and out-of-the-box thinking to support greener supply chains.12
Why — Focused policies would allow agri-food traders to access financial advantages and new environmental market opportunities.3
Impact — Other policy sectors currently dominate decision-making, leaving agri-food traders struggling for specific recognition.4
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Response to New Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean

9 Feb 2023

Please find attached CELCAA's statement to "A new Agenda for EU relations with Latin America and the Carribean". We remain available for further exchange.
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CELCAA urges shipping regulation review to protect food security

3 Oct 2022
Topic — Evaluation of competition law exemptions allowing liner shipping operators to cooperate on services.
Message — CELCAA requests a review of rules to address the distorted shipping market. They seek a recalibrated maritime system to ensure global food supply and security. The sector demands long-term sustainable trading operations to prevent market destabilization.12
Why — This would lower costs and improve the reliability of international food shipments.34
Impact — Dominant shipping lines would lose the ability to restrict market competition.5
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Response to Application of EU health and environmental standards to imported agricultural and agri-food products

14 Mar 2022

CELCAA, the European association representing the trade in agri-food products and commodities, is pleased to provide its input to the call for evidence on the application of EU health and environmental standards to imported agricultural and agri-food products. The objective of the EU, through the EU Green Deal is to address and reverse climate change. We all agree with this objective. The methods of getting there however differ and we welcome the debate with this call for evidence to discuss the application of EU health and environmental standards to imported agri-food products. As stated in the call for evidence, the EU is the largest global exporter and third largest importer of agri-food products. The EU, with its 500 million consumers has a role to play to gear towards greater sustainability in the agri-food sector in the EU, but also globally. Against this background, CELCAA would like to stress the following elements: . EU policy on imports of agri-food products is a success in achieving food safety and openness based on predictable rules. . Private schemes are complementary to legislation when it comes to promotion of greater sustainability on imports. . Will sectoral legislation applying to imports deliver on achieving greater sustainability at origin? . Is the attempt to policy producing methods in third countries lawful and legitimate?.. . …or will they have counter-effect on global sustainability and reputation of the EU? . Mirroring clauses for CELCAA . Import tolerances for MRL for pesticides . Path to greater sustainability globally shall be driven by trade diplomacy including leadership in international standards setting and equivalence agreements. . EU farmers need to be supported in the journey towards greater sustainability. Please find enclosed the detailed submission.
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Meeting with Wioletta Dunin-Majewska (Cabinet of Commissioner Elisa Ferreira) and European farmers and FoodDrinkEurope

28 Jan 2022 · Revision of the promotion policy.

Meeting with Janusz Wojciechowski (Commissioner) and

27 Jan 2022 · 2022 Annual Work Programme of the EU Promotion Policy

Meeting with Christiane Kirketerp De Viron (Cabinet of Commissioner Johannes Hahn) and European agri-cooperatives and

14 Dec 2021 · Agricultural Promotion Policy

Meeting with Caroline Boeshertz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and FoodDrinkEurope and

15 Nov 2021 · Implementation of Decree 248 by the Chinese Customs Administration

Response to Sustainable food system – setting up an EU framework

25 Oct 2021

CELCAA, the European umbrella representing the trade in agri-food and commodities, supports the shift towards increasingly sustainable food systems and welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Inception Impact Assessment on sustainable food system framework initiative. There are crucial elements that need to be considered and lack somewhat in the Inception Impact Assessment. You will see the details of our input enclosed.
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Meeting with Lukas Visek (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

23 Apr 2021 · Discussion on sustainable food systems

Response to Information and promotion measures for agricultural and food products in the internal market and in non-EU countries

8 Mar 2021

The EU promotion policy has met the ambition to support the economic and social competitiveness of the EU agri-food sector, which are agricultural productivity, ensure a fair standard of living for farmers and help stabilize agri-food markets. CELCAA can only support the option one, but with some words of caution. The budget allocated for the Work Program 2021 should remain at least equivalent for the future EU promotion policy. The promotion policy of the EU must continue to support all agricultural sectors to achieve the awareness of the high standards of the EU in terms of food production and value-added to culinary experiences and economic and social growth of all agri-food regions of the EU, through -but not only- the various schemes in place - being EU quality schemes, Geographical indications and awareness of EU standards of production. The promotion policy should also support the development of consumption trends and not pre-empt consumers’ behavior. In that respect, the budget allocated for organic production in the Work program 2021 can be seen as excessive, as it may not match the offer and demand driven by the market.
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Response to Revision of EU marketing standards for agricultural products

16 Feb 2021

CELCAA is the European association of the trade in agri-food products, representing 35 000 trading companies operating in imports and exports of major commodities- such as meat, dairy, wine, arable crops, grains, sugar etc. CELCAA supports the goal of the Farm to Fork Strategy to promote a more sustainable food system in the EU and is pleased to contribute to the public consultations linked to actions under this Strategy. One of the actions under the Farm to Fork Strategy is the review of the marketing standards of agri-products. CELCAA firmly supports the current marketing standards of agri-products as they have proven fit for purpose. This has been confirmed by the Commission report on the evaluation of evaluation of marketing standards of October 2020. In that context, CELCAA can support option two put forward in the inception impact assessment; i.e. alignment with Lisbon Treaty. CELCAA would like to reiterate that marketing standards are a useful tool to determine agri-food products and as such, help and promote trade- especially when they are recognised by international organisations such as Codex Alimentarius. CELCAA is a strong believer in a fair, transparent and rules-based trading system. As such the EU should seek to continue to engage with international partners to make standards recognised at international scale.
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Meeting with Michael Hager (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and European farmers and

20 Jan 2021 · WTO aircraft dispute

Response to Contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security

11 Jan 2021

CELCAA is the European association of the trade in agri-food products, covering the trade in arable crops, agro-supply, grains and sugar, dairy and dairy products, meat and meat products, wine, fruit and vegetables, egg and egg products, general produces etc. Trade and global supply chains have proven their resilience and ability to ensure the provision of diversified, high-quality and safe food and food and feed ingredients during the Covid-19 pandemic. CELCAA therefore welcomes the initiative mentioned in the Farm to Fork Strategy to develop an EU crisis response mechanism to prepare and respond to critical events that could threaten the EU food security in the future. In that context, CELCAA is pleased to contribute to the consultation on the roadmap on ‘Contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security’. You will find our contribution enclosed.
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Meeting with Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis), Michael Hager (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and

25 Nov 2020 · EU-US trade relations

Meeting with Catherine Geslain-Laneelle (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski)

24 Jun 2020 · The role that trade can play to promote the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient food system in the EU in the context of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy.

Response to Enhancing Market transparency in the agri-food chain

3 Jun 2019

CELCAA is the European umbrella organisation representing the trade in agri-food and agricultural commodities. Our members cover the external trade and intra-trade of meat, dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables, sugar, arable crops, wine, etc. CELCAA welcomes the Commission consultation on the Implementing Regulation as regards notifications to the Commission of information and documents, aiming at improving transparency in the EU food chain. On the objective to increase transparency on the market, CELCAA welcomes the sectoral market observatories that have been set-up by the current Commission during this mandate. The observatories provide data and analysis that support market transparency and allow operators in the chain to make informed choices. Market transparency is much broader than the price, production and trade volume elements and market observatories are a useful tool to collect further data such as consumption. CELCAA doubts that the proposed Implementing Regulation will benefit further operators in the food chain. For CELCAA, the priority is to improve the quality of existing data, including the periodicity of the reporting and to promote the work done by the market observatories. Adding data to be reporting along the chain will threaten commercial confidentiality and competition amongst operators, as it could constitute a threat for arbitrage possibilities and thus reduce operators’ negotiating capacity – restricting therefore competition on the market. More transparency in terms of price could also lead to downward pressure on price, ultimately paid to farmers. CELCAA similarly questions the ability to compare data amongst Member States while products can vary significantly between countries. A wide range of production systems with different costs bases, multiple market channels and multiple products with huge variation in specifications qualify the EU food chain. CELCAA position is to improve the current data from public and private sources and focus on the quality of these data, and welcomes the initiative of the Commission to publish analysis on the markets to accompany the delivery of data.
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Meeting with Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

21 Mar 2019 · Preparation of participation of the Commissioner in conference

Meeting with Phil Hogan (Commissioner)

21 Mar 2019 · Address Event & Q&A

Meeting with Michel Barnier (Head of Task Force Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom) and European farmers and

4 Feb 2019 · Meeting with the Task Force for the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Kingdom under Article 50 TEU

Meeting with Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

25 Sept 2018 · EU-Japan, promotion policy

Meeting with Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

28 Feb 2018 · Future of the CAP

Meeting with Jerzy Bogdan Plewa (Director-General Agriculture and Rural Development) and European farmers and

15 Sept 2017 · Exchange of views

Meeting with Tom Tynan (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

30 Mar 2017 · To exchange views on CAP & reform of CAP with EU Agri-food trade association

Meeting with Arunas Vinciunas (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis), Nathalie Chaze (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis) and

14 Dec 2016 · Dimethoate

Meeting with Christian Burgsmueller (Cabinet of Vice-President Cecilia Malmström)

11 Oct 2016 · CETA (Participation to an event organized by the CELCAA at the EP)

Meeting with Christian Burgsmueller (Cabinet of Vice-President Cecilia Malmström)

8 Jun 2016 · TTIP; Agriculture

Meeting with Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

25 May 2016 · Forthcoming mission to Japan & China

Meeting with Cecile Billaux (Cabinet of Vice-President Cecilia Malmström)

14 Apr 2016 · trade policy and SPS issues

Meeting with Antonio Lowndes Marques De Araujo Vicente (Cabinet of Commissioner Carlos Moedas) and FoodDrinkEurope and

24 Nov 2015 · H2020, new Scientific Committee

Meeting with Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

7 Jul 2015 · Position of CELCAA for the future EU trade strategy