Record 2026 EU funding boosts agri-food promotion as Commission launches new food campaign

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

The Commission will allocate €205 million in 2026 to co-fund promotion activities for sustainable and high-quality EU agri-food products within the European Union and globally. That’s according the 2026 promotion policy work programme adopted this week, marking the highest allocation ever dedicated to enhancing consumer awareness of European agricultural products and quality schemes.

Up to €160 million will be disbursed in grants to co-fund programmes by producer groups and other agri-food trade bodies: €150 million is split between promotion in non-EU countries and the EU internal market, with allocations of €70.3 million and €79.7 million, respectively; €10 million is reserved for crisis measures.

A key initiative this year is a new campaign promoting European food and the farmers societies as a key part of our society/social fabric to be launched in 2026, as announced by President von der Leyen in her State of the Union address. The campaign is designed to raise awareness and foster a sense of pride among EU consumers in the high quality of domestically produced EU agri-food products, as part of the European way of life. It also aims to thereby increase consumption of EU agri-food products, highlight the role of farmers and strengthen the bond with consumers. The campaign will run across all 27 EU Member States.

Outside the EU, the programmes will target regions and countries with high growth potential for EU agri-food products. These include the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore and North America.

Finally, the work programme also foresees a number of initiatives to be run directly by the European Commission with up to €10 million. Such activities include high-level missions of Commissioner Hansen with business delegations to third countries, promotion and information campaigns in third countries, EU participation in major international agri-food trade fairs, and the development of market entry handbooks for exporters.

The Vision for Agriculture and Food recognises the EU’s promotion policy as a key tool supporting the global competitiveness of the EU’s agri-food sector, offering opportunities to consolidate, develop and diversify EU export markets. It also affirms that the EU promotion policy will remain a strategic policy tool to be used to enhance consumer awareness about EU agricultural and fishery and aquaculture products and quality schemes.

Next steps

The European Research Executive Agency (REA) will launch two calls for proposals on 22 January 2026 – one for so-called ‘simple’ programmes, with one or more organisations from the same EU country; one for ‘multi’ programmes, with at least two organisations from at least two Member States, or from one or more European-level organisation. A wide range of operators, such as trade and producer organisations and agri-food groups responsible for promotion activities are eligible to apply for funding and submit their proposals. The calls will be open for applications for a period of three months.

An information day will take place in Brussels and online on 27 and 28 January 2026. Potential beneficiaries are invited to attend to gain insights on the funding opportunities and the application process. They will have the opportunity to hear from successful beneficiaries as well as network with potential project partners.

Background

The promotion policy rewards EU farmers and agri-food businesses for their efforts to meet the highest quality, safety and environmental standards on a competitive global market by giving them access to funding.

Since 2016, more than 650 campaigns have been co-financed by the European Commission with the common signature – ‘Enjoy, it’s from Europe’, strengthening the reputation of EU agri-food products within the Union and around the world. The promotion policy has also accompanied the implementation of successful free trade agreements (i.e. Japan, South Korea, Canada) and the positive evolution of EU’s trade balance over the last decade. Promotion can enhance the sector’s resilience by enabling strategic diversification of markets for EU agri-food exports.

This is how EU agri-food promotion policy supports competitiveness, sustaining and expanding trade while creating jobs and growth. On average, each billion euro of EU exports to third countries supports about 12,000 jobs in the EU.

Funding available for grants – breakdown