Linking Fair Trade producers to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

10 May 2017. Brussels. European Parliament. Hosts: MEP Bernd Lange, Chair of the European
Parliament (EP) Committee on International Trade, and MEP Dita Charanzová, Vice-Chair of the EP Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

1. Workshop: Linking Fair Trade producers to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): existing initiatives and challenges 

• Opening by MEP Bernd Lange (picture), Chair of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade 
• The producers’ perspective: a case study from Uganda, Ms. Jane Katahwire Mbabazi (picture), Vice Chair of the Ankole Coffee Producers Cooperative Limited (ACPCU) 
• The SMEs’ perspective: a case study from Italian SMEs sourcing from Fair Trade, Ms. Eleonora Dal Zotto, General Manager at Equo Garantito and Ms. Silvia Fontana, Marketing Manager at GALA Cosmetici 
• A case study from Brazil, Ms. Emily Rees, Head of EU Affairs at the Brazilian trade and investment promotion agency (Apex-Brasil) 
• A case study from the Netherlands, Ms. Eva Smulders, CSR Manager at the Dutch Centre for the Promotion of Imports, agency of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2. Panel discussion and open debate 

Moderated by Mr Sanoussi Bilal, Head of the Economic Transformation and Trade Programme at the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) 

How can the EU better support partnerships between Fair Trade producers and SMEs? 

• MEP Linda Mc Avan, Chair of the European Parliament DEVE Committee and of the EP cross-party Fair Trade Working Group 
• Ms Jolana Mungengová, Cabinet of Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Trade
  "The EC communication on Aid for Trade expected for end of May will include the support to Fair Trade"
• Mr Leonard Mizzi (picture), Head of Unit, DEVCO C1 - Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition, European Commission - Directorate-General for Development Cooperation
  "It is important to mainstream and have a major economic impact instead of remaining in a niche of sustainable or fair trade. Benin faces the challenge of creating 150,000 job for youth in the agricultural sector. How can the application of a premium prize for fair trade products contribute to the creation of jobs?"
• Mr Claudio Cappellini, Head of EU Affairs at CNA, Member of the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME) 
• Mr Sergi Corbalán, Executive Director of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office

Concluding remarks by MEP Dita Charanzová, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Related:
The Fair Trade Advocacy Office launched in October 2016 the toolkit Localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Fair Trade (18 pages) in the framework of the final conference in Brussels of the ‘Smart Food Cities for Development’ project, co-financed by the European Commission. While all SDGs are, to some extent, related to Fair Trade, Fair Trade is particularly relevant to the goal on sustainable consumption and production and how this goal can serve to achieve eight other SDGs, from poverty eradication to gender equality.

The toolkit provides guidance and best practices across different policy areas at local level, such as public procurement, local economic development, international cooperation, awareness raising, and multi-stakeholder engagement. It provides examples across countries and continents and is meant to serve as a companion for local officials working on the implementation of the SDGs at local level.