The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) welcomes Ms. Imart’s draft report on the EC proposal, and invites the AGRI Committee to amend it to ensure that the new regulatory framework is truly beneficial for farmers who still struggle to receive a fair remuneration for their work and for consumers not adding confusion with ‘fairwashing’ communications on products.

This FTAO position focuses on the need to improve Article 88a on the Optional terms for commercial modalities, based on the years of expertise of the Fair Trade Movement in creating fairer supply chains and enterprises.

The FTAO stresses that the use of the term “fair”(and its translations in the different European languages) is associated with a distinct set of practices and principles separate from those linked to other similar terms. These practices have been developed over years of experience by the economic actors within the Fair Trade Movement and are enshrined in the International Fair Trade Charter, supported by over 250 organisations, including economic operators and civil society organisations.

The FTAO recommends aligning with the vision outlined in this Charter and ensuring consistency with existing legislative developments at the EU level, such as the French legal framework.

Read the full position here.