The new International Agreement on olive oil and table olives, which was adopted by consensus at the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development in Geneva last year, will take effect on 1 January.
This new text takes into account developments in the world olive and
olive oil industry. It reasserts the role of the International Olive
Council (IOC) as a world centre for documentation and information
dissemination about the olive and its products and as a forum for
industry stakeholders. It also places emphasis on standardising national
and international legislation on the physical, chemical and
organoleptic characteristics of olive oils, olive pomace oils and table
olives in order to prevent obstacles to trade.
Compared with
preceding Agreements, the new Agreement is simpler, more rational and
more condensed. It is aimed at facilitating the participation of
importer countries and features a modified system for calculating the
distribution of participation shares that is meant to encourage consumer
countries to join.
New decision making arrangements have also been put in place and make
a distinction between decisions that must be taken exclusively by
consensus and decisions that may be taken by a vote if consensus is not
reached. In the second case, decision-making by voting will require a
larger or smaller majority depending on the subject matter. The budget
structure of the IOC has also been simplified.
The Document,
International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives 2015, can be read
here