Brussels, 16 November 2017. Trade in agri-commodities and food and drink products represents 11% of bilateral trade flows between the EU27 and the UK. As a consequence of Brexit, unprecedented challenges and a high level of uncertainty prevails. With this in mind, the three key food chain partners call for specific measures to mitigate as much as possible any negative impact on the sector as a result of Brexit.

These include:

Europe’s citizens are more and more often asking: What does the European Union do for me? This is a legitimate question which requires a clear and coherent answer. However, it is not only a matter of finding the right words. Europe’s citizens increasingly question institutions’ and the European Union’s ability to act in their interest. Our ambition is clear: a Europe we can be proud of is a Europe where everyone lives in dignity.

Strasbourg, 16 November 2017

Five S&D MEPs, namely vice-president Tanja Fajon, foreign affairs spokesperson Knut Fleckenstein, S&D shadow rapporteur for Bosnia and Herzegovina Demetris Papadakis, MEP and president of the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity Jens Nilsson, as well as PES president Sergei Stanishev, will be participating in a series of meetings on the Western Balkans that will be taking place in Sarajevo on 17 and 18 November.

Brussels, 16 November 2017