Committees Overview

Chairman: Richard Wood
Director: Pénélope Alexandre

CAOBISCO
1, rue Defacqz - 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (2) 533 94 67 - Fax: +32 (2) 539 1575

The Regulatory & Scientific Committee has a very important role within CAOBISCO as it examines and lobbies the European (European Union) and international (WTO, FAO, Codex Alimentarius) legislative and scientific framework in which our industries have to develop, by supplying its expertise and acquired knowledge. It informs and consults members on all developments (new Regulations and Directives, modifications, initiatives from European and international institutions) in legal and scientific areas with an impact on CAOBICO products. The Regulatory & Scientific Committee is also a forum where members can meet and exchange information.

Through its expert groups (Health & Nutrition, Hygiene, Residues, Environment and other task forces), the RSC is at the centre of a network (in constant evolution) of legal and scientific contacts that facilitate exchanges and the rapid and efficient management of burning issues. It allows also to draw up specific strategies and positions on regulatory and scientific files concerning CAOBISCO sectors.

The Regulatory & Scientific Committee covers a wide area :

• the evolution of labelling issues : allergens, QUID, nutritional labelling, origin labelling, legibility
• vertical directives
• Codex Alimentarius Cocoa and Chocolate Standards
• requests of authorisations on food improvements from European and international instances
• the total integration of European authorizations on additives, sweeteners, colours and flavourings into Codex Alimentarius
• industry denomination codes
• Hygiene : traceability, food security, BSE, foot and mouth disease
• Nutrition : food fortification, health claims and consumption data
• Residues : monitoring activities
• the publication and revision of the Guide of Good Hygiene Practice for use by CAOBISCO members

Chairman: Aldo Cristiano
Director: Paula Byrne

The CAOBISCO Cocoa Committee aims to maintain a continuous supply of cocoa and to preserve the quality of cocoa at each stage of the supply chain.

The Cocoa Committee's responsibility covers:

• Improving cocoa agricultural practices to ensure future interest in cocoa agriculture in cooperation with our partners
• Maintaining engagement with the global cocoa/chocolate industry concerning a sustainable cocoa economy
• Ensuring communication of activities of the global cocoa/chocolate industry to the EU Institutions, media, and representatives of the civil society
• Acting as a partner of the EU Institutions in dealing with cocoa producing countries
• Ensuring quality/food safety criteria in commercial contracts and improving quality at origin

The Cocoa Committee is the overarching committee of the following working groups:

• WG on cocoa quality, in cooperation with other associations of the cocoa supply chain
• WG on contracts, in cooperation with other associations of the supply chain
• WG on fumigation, in cooperation with other associations of the supply chain
• WG on contaminants, in cooperation with other CAOBISCO committees and with other associations of the cocoa supply chain

The Cocoa Committee represents the views of its membership:

• In dealing with the EU Institutions
• As a member of the Consultative Board of the World Cocoa Economy, advising the International Cocoa Organisation ICCO, a UN body composed of both cocoa producing and cocoa consuming countries;
• As a member of World Cocoa Foundation WCF, a private foundation promoting sustainable cocoa economy through economic, social and environmental conservation;
• As a member of the Global Issues Group (GIG) handling the Protocol on the worst forms of child labour.

CAOBISCO also works in close collaboration with key supply chain representatives, such as International Federation of Cocoa Commerce FCC, European Cocoa Association ECA, and COPAL, intergovernmental organisation of cocoa producing countries.

The CAOBISCO network also covers ICI, International Cocoa Initiative, and ICA, International Confectionery Association.

Corporate Social Responsibility WG

CAOBISCO created a coordination group on Corporate Social Responsibility in order to deal with:

• The growing pressure on Corporate Social Responsibility and ethical trade coming from the NGOs in Europe
• The European Policy on Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethical Trade, Fair Trade, Agricultural Commodities

Mandate:

• The Corporate Social Responsibility concerns are very wide. Currently, the group will focus on those concerns related to raw materials and the supply chain
• The CSR WG follow up Ethical Trade and Fair Trade; Implementation of the Action Plan on Agricultural Commodities; The EU Strategy for Africa and any other CSR related initiative of the EU Institutions and other international organisations
• Follow up the ISO work towards setting standards on social responsibility "ISO 26000"

Chairman: Sabine Nafziger
Director: Muriel Korter

CAOBISCO
1, rue Defacqz - 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (2) 539 18 00 - Fax: +32 (2) 539 1575

In co-operation with ICA, each year CAOBISCO publishes an exclusive Statistical Bulletin, which supplies statistical data on production, consumption and trade of products from the three CAOBISCO sectors: chocolate, biscuits and confectionery. The figures indicated in the Statistical Bulletin cover members of the European Union and EEE, as well as Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Japan and the United States.

However, the Statistics Network is not limited to the publication of the Statistical Bulletin. It plays an important role in supplying CAOBISCO's committees with the statistical information required for lobbying purposes. Furthermore, the Statistics Network monitors all developments in relation to EUROSTAT (Statistical Office of the European Commission).

Registration Form for Statistical Bulletin

Chairman:
Director:

President: Didier FOCKING

Vice President: Filippo CERULLI IRELLI
 
Vice President: Tobias BACHMÜLLER

Secretary General: Sabine NAFZIGER

The President's Committee may be considered as the Council of Wise men. It is made up of the current President, the two Vice-Presidents and the Secretary General.

It is convened by the President for important decisions such as the appointment of personnel or the resolving of major differences implicating CAOBISCO.

Chairman:
Director:

The General Assembly, held once a year in one of CAOBISCO's member countries, groups together delegates from its Council of Presidents and takes decisions on questions of functioning and on CAOBISCO's financial situation. It votes on the annual accounts and determines the Association's budget.

The General Assembly is an important meeting forum for the industry's members.

Chairman: Damiano Di Natale
Director: Muriel Korter

The Economic Affairs Committee heads all trade and agricultural issues. It works on the basis of network of experts forming ad hoc working groups.

As defender of our industries' trade interests, the CAOBISCO Economic Affairs Committee is in permanent contact with the national associations, Community bodies (European Council, European Commission, European Parliament, Economic and Social Committee) and international bodies (World Trade Organization), in order to guarantee and develop the free circulation of CAOBISCO products both inside and outside the European Community.

In a market ever more open and international, this Committee is working hard in trying to unite all the factors which would enable the companies from CAOBISCO’s sectors to develop freely, have better access to third markets, be competitive on the international market and enjoy favourable export conditions.

The Economic Affairs Committee's task in this field is to:

• Works thoroughly to maintain/improve CAOBISCO export competitiveness. Find other solutions to the current export refunds system, for example, access to inward processing relief. Have access to competitively priced raw material imports.
• Contribute to the creation of a liberal and transparent international trading system through: substantial reductions of applied tariffs, elimination of quotas around the world, elimination of non tariffs barriers to trade, reform of domestic support policies in the agriculture sector. In this perspective, the Economic Affairs Committee follows closely the WTO negotiations and is permanently trying to influence European policy negotiators and reinforce international and EU alliances
• Make sure that CAOBISCO member interests are considered in all bilateral negotiations, concerning imports and exports but also trade facilitation

Concerning agricultural issues, the responsibility of the Economic Affairs Committee is to inform members on the opportunities and problems both present and future in the agricultural sectors, likely to have an impact on CAOBISCO's industries. Equally, its mission is to improve the conditions of supply of raw materials and to resolve short, medium and long-term problems. The Economic Affairs Committee is equipped with several groups of experts who punctually bring their knowledge and expertise on specific issues: Dairy Products, CAP, Sugar, Vendor Assurance, Cereals, Hazelnuts, Almonds and other Edible Nuts, Raisins, Palm Oil, Eggs and Biofuels.

The actions of this Committee fall under three main headings:

1. Political

• The consequences of large political developments on the supply of raw materials in terms of price and quality.
• To this effect, the Economic Affairs Committee is closely monitoring the reform of the CAP, the WTO negotiations. The reforms of and changes to the common market organisations of sugar, dairy and cereals.

2. Economics

• The evolution of institutional agricultural prices proposed each year by the EC.
• The follow up of market situations of the principal raw materials used by the companies belonging to the CAOBISCO sector.
• The setting of the hazelnuts market, the main supplier of which is Turkey.

3. Food Safety and Quality

• The follow-up of dossiers relating to food safety and traceability of raw materials, the standardization of milk proteins, the reduced price butter system.
• In this respect, the technical and legal particularities of these dossiers lead the Economic Affairs Committee to co-operate with the other CAOBISCO committees, in particular the Regulatory & Scientific Committee.

The Economic Affairs Committee is the overarching committee of various expert groups, such as:

Biofuels WG

Biofuels is produced with raw materials used by our industry, such as vegetable oils, cereals, sugar and derivates. Due to the biofuels development, the price of these raw materials increased considerably and further increase is expected. Our objective is to have good quality raw materials at competitive price. We built a coalition with many other trade associations/ food industry sectors to raise awareness in the EU on the impact of biofuels development on our business and convince the EU to adopt measures to reduce this impact.

Hazelnuts WG

Hazelnuts are a key raw material for our industry. 80% of the hazelnuts come from Turkey and the hazelnut market is very unstable. We aim to improve transparency, stability and open competition on the market. In order to reach this goal, we are working in cooperation with trade associations of the supply chain and with the EU Institutions. The WG represents the interest of the membership in the meetings under the EC-Turkey cooperation scheme on hazelnuts.