The Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) has called for politicians to take steps to prevent further erosion of the EU market, as currently medium-sized companies are presented with obstacles.
Marking the 30th year anniversary of the European internal market – characterised by the freedom of movement of goods – has stimulated international trade in the confectionery industry, the BDSI has said. Comparing confectionery exports in 1993 with 2022 shows significant figures recorded by international trade in confectionery during this period.
Since the introduction of the domestic market, the total volume of exported confectionery has increased by +333% from 569,000 tonnes in 1993 to 2.5 million tonnes in 2022. The value of confectionery and snack items exported from Germany in particular has increased from EU€1.4 billion, an increase of +612% in 1993 to €10.3 billion in 2022.
The BDSI has said unrestricted movement of goods has been taken for granted, as the impact of Brexit and associated loss of approximately 67 million consumers show to the German economy how important it is to maintain freedom of goods. In 2019, prior to Brexit, Great Britain accounted for 11.4% of EU exports, totalling €6.7 billion.
“The 30th anniversary of the internal market must be a wake-up call for European politicians to counteract fragmentation, in particular as a result of labelling law, and to think about strengthening the common market and legal standardisation again in legislative projects,” said Dr Carsten Bernoth, General Manager of the BDSI. “Because for years we have been witnessing a gradual erosion of the common market. For food production, the EU member states have gone their own way in terms of nutritional value labeling or environmental or recycling labelling, but also labelling of origin or additives regulations and have destroyed the uniform legal framework through special national regulations.”
The BDSI has said it is calling for a ‘trend reversal’ where the internal market is not undermined but instead maintained, expanded and brought back into the focus of the European economic policy. It recently laid out its terms in a letter sent to EU President Ursula von der Leyen.
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