The European Union and Chile have concluded negotiations on an agreement on trade in organic products.
Through this agreement, the EU and Chile will mutually recognise the equivalence of their organic production rules and control system and ensure a high level of respect of the principle of organic production.
The agreement is broad in scope, including all EU organic products, and will allow for products produced and controlled according to EU rules to be directly placed on the Chilean market and vice versa.
It will also aim at reciprocally protecting the organic logos as well as providing for a system of updates of the product's coverage, along with increased co-operation, information exchange and dispute settlement in organic trade.
The EU-Chile agreement on trade in organic products will be the first of the "new generation" agreements in trade in organic products and the first bilateral recognition with a Latin American country.
Until now the EU has only concluded administrative arrangements with regard to organic equivalence recognitions or, in the past, it has only unilaterally recognised the equivalence of third countries organic production rules and control systems.
This agreement will pave the way for other agreements in trade in organic products thus providing a strong foundation for the development of the organic sector, benefiting a growing industry and supporting jobs and growth at the global scale.
EU Commissioner Phil Hogan stated: "I very much welcome the end of negotiations with Chile with a view to concluding an agreement on trade in organic products.
"The European organic sector continues to be one of our most dynamic production sectors and Chile has great potential in developing opportunities for organic farmers and businesses.
"This agreement will contribute to creating jobs and growth for both partners, with the guarantee for the consumer of solid control systems."
The EU's organic sector is a dynamic sector of European agriculture with an average growth rate of around 5.5% per year in the past 10 years, occupying nearly 6% of the utilised agricultural area of the EU.
Although the EU is a net food-importer from Chile, it is expected that this agreement will promote EU organic exports to Chile.
