EU trade delegation visits Riyadh to boost ties in agri-food products

RIYADH: A 50-member trade delegation from the EU arrives in Riyadh on Tuesday to promote food and beverage products from Europe.

The delegation, led by European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan, consists of representatives of companies from 19 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom. A number of pan-European producers’ will also be represented.

Michele Cervone D Urso, head of the EU delegation in Saudi Arabia, told Arab News on Monday that this is the first official delegation led by Hogan to the Kingdom.

Saudi’s rapidly expanding population and relatively high levels of disposable income make it an attractive market for EU agri-food producers. Last year, the Kingdom was the sixth largest export destination for agri-food from the EU, generating €4.6 billion ($5.3 billion).

The visit aims to enhance cooperation between the EU and Saudi Arabia in the field of agriculture and rural development, with a view to further developing bilateral trade in agri-food products.

Besides meeting officials at the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC), Hogan will meet his Saudi counterpart, Minister of Water, Environment and Agriculture, Abdul Rahman Al-Fadli to discuss bilateral trade between the EU and the Kingdom and the GCC.

Hogan will also hold talks with key officials from the Saudi Food Drug Authority (SFDA) and is slated to appear in the opening session of a business event in Riyadh, “Doing business in Saudi Arabia: Agri-Food Sector.”

Traditionally, trade relations between the Kingdom and the EU have taken place through the Gulf Cooperation Council and have focused primarily on industrial goods and energy resources.

The EU delegation will promote a wide variety of food and beverage products.