EU and China roadmap towards a mutual recognition of organic products

<div style="text-align: justify;">The European Commissioner for
Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Ciolo&#351;, and the Chinese Minister for Administration
of Quality, Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), Zhi Shuping, agreed today in Beijing to
open negotiations on a mutual recognition agreement in the field of organic food products.<br>China
and the European Union (EU) will examine their respective legislations. Standards and controls
applied to organic production will be assessed in order to seek an agreement which facilitates trade
in the field of organic products and builds longer term cooperation in this area.<br>EU exports of
organic products to China increased significantly in 2011, with promising perspectives in the years
to come.<br>On the basis of the roadmap, a dialogue will start at technical level with the following
objectives:<br></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>promoting mutual understanding trust and
bilateral cooperation in the field of organic agriculture;</li><li>working towards a mutually
beneficial reciprocal arrangement on recognition of each other's organic laws and
regulations;</li><li>holding technical discussions for agreeing the necessary steps needed to
achieve the aim of mutual recognition in the organic field;</li><li>establishing regular contacts
and communication concerning the respective legislation, technical standards and procedures in the
field of organic agriculture.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">The EU has already reached
mutual recognition and reciprocity in the area of organic food products with the USA, Canada,
Switzerland and Japan.<br>Turnover on the EU organic market is estimated at 18 billion euros. The EU
has been a main importer of organic products coming from China for years and these imports are
developing. The Chinese domestic market of organic products is now developing fast, with significant
perspectives ahead. EU exports of organic products to China have seen a significant increase over
the recent years.<br>World trade value of organic products was estimated at 59 billion dollars in
2010 and its value could reach 100 billion dollars in the coming five years. Global organic
production area is estimated at 37 million ha, of which 9.2 million in the EU, with an average
growth rate of 10% over the past years, and 2 million ha in China, with a growth rate of 30% over
the last years.<br><br>Source: European Commission<br></div><br>