25/07/2023
The European AL-INVEST Verde programme has organised meetings between representatives of the EU, the public and private sectors, confirming the EU's commitment to support the Andean country
Roundtable meeting organised by the programme
In order to maintain the support that the European Union provides to the agro-export sector in Ecuador, the European AL-INVEST Verde programme has met in the Andean country with representatives of the EU and the public and private sector to learn about the actions carried out jointly, the progress made and future opportunities for collaboration.
The ministries of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries; Agriculture and Livestock; Environment, Water and Ecological Transition; and Labour participated in the meetings. Agrocalidad, the agency in charge of control and regulation for the protection and improvement of animal health, plant health and food safety, was also present.
During the meetings, the importance of adapting the agro-export sector to European Union (EU) regulations, such as the European Green Pact, the “From Farm to Fork” strategy and the regulation on supply chains free of deforestation and forest degradation, was highlighted.
In this regard, the progress made in the areas of competence of the different ministries was highlighted, as well as the need to make progress on issues such as traceability, cooperativism, legal access to land, the development of protocols for food safety, geolocation and certification of compliance with labour rights in family farming.
In recent years, the EU has supported the development of regulations for the implementation of traceability systems, which are procedures that make it possible to know the history of a product’s location and trajectory. In addition, pilot projects have been launched to promote adaptation to the aforementioned regulations, as well as the strengthening of governance and stakeholder coordination spaces.
After the meetings, the interest in preserving the collaboration between Ecuador and the EU, through the AL-INVEST Verde programme, has been defined in order to continue supporting actions that allow, among others, the promotion of associativism and cooperativism in the sectors affected by the EU deforestation regulation, training in traceability systems and due diligence, and support for traceability processes in the cocoa value chain.
AL-INVEST Verde is an EU programme, framed within the Global Gateway strategy, whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America, supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy.
Through Component 2, led by FIIAPP in consortium with IILA, the programme provides assistance for strengthening public policy and multi-stakeholder dialogues on sustainable agricultural and value chains, environmental and labour standards, as well as sustainable trade and economic policy and regulatory frameworks.
