FoodDrinkEurope President, Jesús Serafín Pérez, joins Commission Vice-President Tajani on mission to United States
FoodDrinkEurope President, Jesús Serafín Pérez, will accompany European Commission Vice President Tajani in addition to a delegation of 20 other high level EU business representatives, on a mission to the United States from 10-12 May 2012. The primary goal of the trip is to seek to enhance important trade relations between the EU and the U.S. This mission will be a unique opportunity for Europe’s food and drink industry to: (i) highlight clearly the importance of a regulatory environment for trade; (ii) to build on the approach developed in the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) to anticipate future challenges; and to (iii) discuss issues relevant to our industry in order to maximise Europe’s export potential to this key market.
Over the course of the trip, Mr. Pérez will be participating in roundtable discussions on priorities for an integrated transatlantic marketplace, which will be moderated by Vice-President Tajani. The mission provides the opportunity for Europe’s food and drink industry to raise key priorities with the Deputy Assistant to the U.S. President responsible for economic affairs, Michael Froman, EU Ambassador Almeida as well as a delegation of high level U.S. business representatives.
In the context of current discussions within the EU-US High Level Working Group, FoodDrinkEurope believes the most significant issue to Europe’s food and drink sector are regulatory barriers that act as a hindrance to trade. In addition, the potential creation of unnecessary new barriers, for instance, as a result of the implementation of the Food Safety Modernisation Act, can and should be avoided. Working closely with the U.S. to increase transparency of internal rules for EU exporters is also of importance.
As Europe’s food and drink industry is actively trying to improve its export opportunities and competitiveness worldwide in order to promote sustainable growth, the mission provides an important step in the right direction to achieving this goal. FoodDrinkEurope remains dedicated to developing existing trade relations with the U.S. to secure future market opportunities beneficial to both partners in the current economic climate.
