European Union - First meeting of the High Level Forum for a better functioning of the food supply chain

The High Level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain is meeting for the first time in Brussels on Tuesday 16 November. It will adopt a work plan to boost competitiveness and to promote best contractual practices in the European food sector, extending the work of the previous High Level Group on the Competitiveness of the Agro-Food Industry to the whole supply chain. Vice President Antonio Tajani is leading this exercise together with his fellow Commissioners Michel Barnier (Internal Market and Services), John Dalli (Health and Consumer Policy) and Dacian Cioloş (Agriculture and Rural development).

The Forum comprises of 45 members representing mainly selected Member States, European companies dealing with food production, processing or distribution, as well as professional associations and non-governmental organisation representing citizens’ interests.

The work of the Forum will be developed along a three-tier structure, namely:
• The High Level Forum (Ministers, CEOs, Presidents of associations, etc),
• the Sherpa group which mirrors the memberships of the Forum and which will have as main task the preparation of the work of the Forum in close cooperation with the Commission services,
• several expert platforms (working groups), namely:
• Business to business contractual practices in the food supply chain,
• Food price monitoring tool,
• Competitiveness in the agro-food industry,
• Agro-logistics.
The Forum has a two-year mandate ending 31 December 2012. The Forum will be meeting once a year and is expected to approve its final report by 2012.