On 6 March 2017, the Council adopted a decision on the signing of an agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Chile on trade in organic products.
Thanks to the agreement, the EU and Chile will soon recognise the equivalence of their respective rules and control systems as regards organic production. In practice, this means that organic food that is produced in the EU and covered by the agreement will be able to be marketed in Chile without further controls. The same will apply to a number of Chilean organic products in the EU.
The agreement will also provide for a system of co-operation, exchange of information and dispute settlement in organic trade.
"The organic sector is growing steadily and rapidly and is a great resource for European agriculture and the wider economy. This agreement with Chile will give a boost to EU organic production and exports, and help generate growth and create jobs. The Council warmly welcomes it," Roderick Galdes, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal rights said.
This agreement with Chile aims at encouraging trade in organic products, thus contributing to the development of the organic sector in the EU. It also aims at improving protection for the respective organic logos, and enhancing regulatory cooperation between the EU and Chile on issues related to organic production.
It will apply to EU organic products such as: unprocessed plant products, live animals or unprocessed animal products (including honey), aquaculture products and seaweeds, processed agricultural products for use as food (including wine), processed agricultural products for use as feed, vegetative propagating material and seeds for cultivation.
On the other hand, the EU will recognise as equivalent the following products from Chile: unprocessed plant products, honey, processed agricultural products for use as food (including wine), vegetative propagating material and seeds for cultivation.
The agreement with Chile is the first of the "new generation" agreements in trade in organic products and the first bilateral recognition with a Latin American country.
Next steps
On 6 March 2017 the Council adopted a decision on the signing of the EU-Chile agreement, and approved another decision on its actual conclusion.
The Council will now forward the draft decision on the conclusion of the agreement to the European Parliament for its consent, after which the Council will still have to formally adopt it.
The agreement will enter into force three months following the final notification of the completion of the necessary internal procedures by each contracting party.
