The European Union Advisory Committee on Fruit and Vegetables has a new chairman in the shape of former Freshfel president Giuseppe Calcagni.

The chief executive of the Besana Group joins the committee which boasts representatives of organisations such as Copa-Cogeca, FRUCOM, the European Bureau for Environment and Freshfel Europe.

The Advisory group is an important networking instrument between EU decision-makers and the sector. It is the first time that the chair of this committee is not held by an appointed Copa-Cogeca representative.

On the occasion of this meeting, a strategic agenda of the Advisory Group has been presented and discussed. This strategic agenda is setting out some of the priorities of the Committee during the two-year term of Calcagni’s mandate.

Calcagni said: “The sector is confronted with a number of challenges that ought to be debated between EU authorities and representatives of the fruit and vegetables chain.

Calcagni outlined some of the challenges the Group faces. “The impact of the current financial and economic crisis on the sector, the complexity of addressing the low levels of consumption of fruit and vegetables, the development of a coherent trade policy for fruit and vegetables, the positioning of the sector in new technologies, the energy and climate change debate...are some of the important challenges which merit a European debate with the European Commission”.

Philippe Binard, general delegate of Freshfel Europe, said: “The appointment of Mr Calcagni is an important milestone for the Association and a recognition of the constructive role played by Freshfel at the European level.”

The meeting of this week looked at the €156 million (£139m) project to set up a European school fruit scheme as of September 2009. This scheme has been pushed by Freshfel as an important tool to reverse the negative fruit and vegetable consumption trends, as highlighted in the recent Freshfel Consumption Monitor 2008.

Freshfel Europe intend to monitor the adoption of the Commission Proposal closely and is looking forward to a fast implementation of an effective and large-scale EU School Fruit Scheme as of 2009.