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UNION FLEURS
INTERNAT IONALF L O W E R T R A D EA S S O C I A T I O N
Annual Report 2015
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ABOUT UNION FLEURS
MISSION
Union Fleurs was founded in 1959 as an international umbrella organisation for national associations and organisations active in the floriculture trade. Its general mission is to represent, promote and defend the worldwide interests of the international floriculture trade (cut flowers, cut foliage and pot plants).
More specifically, Union Fleurs actively pursues the following objectives:
To safeguard and promote matters of general interest to the international floriculture trade. To promote the visibility of the floriculture sector and a favourable trading environment. To defend and represent the interests of the international floriculture trade at international forums
and with international bodies and authorities worldwide. To exchange, collect and distribute information on the world floriculture market. To provide a networking platform where members can meet and exchange views.
To achieve these objectives, Union Fleurs:
Collects and distributes on a regular basis EU and international regulatory news to its membership. Engages in lobbying and advocacy to influence policy-making in the best interest of the
international floricultural trade. Provides a unique international networking platform, connecting people and knowledge and
stimulating the exchange of insights with sector experts. Promotes at every opportunity sound, safe and sustainable pre-competitive conditions and a
favourable trading environment for the worldwide floriculture industry. Cooperates on a regular basis with other international organisations involved in the floriculture
sector and the agricultural trade.
A M B I T I O N: To be the international platform in safeguarding, promoting and shaping a sound and sustainable environment for the international floriculture trade and value-chain by connecting people and knowledge.
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Flower System SAS (France)
Flower System SAS / Fleur Assistance is a leading French importer and wholesaler of cut flowers and pot plants based in Rungis, near Paris.
MEMBERSHIP
According to the Union Fleurs Articles of Association:
Full Membership is open to national associations and organisations of the flower trade with an important national representation.
Associate membership is open to national associations and organisations of the flower trade for a maximum period of two years. On expiry of this period, full membership may be applied for, failing which, associate membership shall lapse.
Affiliate membership is open to individual companies.
Today Union Fleurs has members in 20 countries worldwide. Union Fleurs membership accounts for more than 80% of the total value of the worldwide trade of cut flowers, cut foliage and pot plants. Within its membership, Union Fleurs gathers over 3.000 companies worldwide, of which more than 1.500 flower traders and wholesalers in the EU.
Union Fleurs has welcomed 3 new members in 2015:
www.ehpea.org
wwww.valhor.fr
www.fleurassistance.com
New Full member 2015:
EHPEA - the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association)
EHPEA was established in 2002 by five growers with the mission of contributing to the national economic development and addressing their mutual concerns in the horticulture production and marketing strive. At present, members of the association have grown in number and diversified, reaching a total of 96 at the beginning of 2014. EHPEA represents and advocates the interests of its members both locally and internationally, with the mission to promote and safeguard the competitive position of the Ethiopian Horticulture sector within global markets.
New Affiliate members 2015:
VAL’HOR (France)
VAL’HOR is the umbrella branch organization for ornamental horticulture in France, which has been an associate member of Union Fleurs since 2013 and was confirmed as an affiliate member in 2015. The organisation includes 9 professional organisations covering all segments of the branch (commerce and distribution, flower shops, growers, landscaping, nurseries, etc).
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STRUCTURE
The General Assembly is the supreme body of Union Fleurs and is composed of the delegates of Union Fleurs full members. It meets once a year.
The Board of Directors is elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years, except for the Secretary General who is elected for a term of three years. The Board of Director has full competencies in terms of management and administration, subject to the powers of the General Assembly.
The Committees are appointed by the General Assembly, which also elects the Chairperson and defines their tasks and responsibilities.
At present, four Committees are in place:
The Autonomous EU Section: set up to specifically represent towards the European Union Institutions the Union Fleurs members located in the EU Member States. The World Trade Committee: set up to address issues and activities of specific importance for the worldwide floricultural trade. The Committee for the Americas: set up to address issues and activities of specific interest to North, Central and South American members.
The Pot Plants committee: set up to address issues and activities of specific interest for the Pot Plants products.
UNION FLEURS BOARD (2014-2016) Reflecting the global reach of Union Fleurs, the Board of Directors is made of a very international team, with the following representatives:
President: Herman de Boon (VGB/ Netherlands)
Vice-President: Richard Fox (KFC/ Kenya)
Chairman EU Section: Frank Zeiler (BGI / Germany)
Chairman World Trade Committee: Richard Fox (Kenya Flower Council / Kenya)
Chairman Committee for the Americas: Augusto Solano (Asocolflores/ Colombia)
Chairman Pot Plants Committee: Martin Estad (Flora Dania, Denmark) Relationships Manager: Gülsen Bay (Ornamental Plants & Products Exporters Union / Turkey)
Secretary General: Sylvie Mamias
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UNION FLEURS ACTIVITIES IN 2015
ADVOCACY: SHAPING & OPTIMISING POLICIES
As the representative organisation of the floriculture trade at the EU and international levels, Union Fleurs engages on a regular basis in
various lobbying and advocacy activities to make sure that the common interests of its members and of the floricultural trade in general, are protected and promoted. One of the key focuses of Union Fleurs is to facilitate seamless markets & trade and ensure the free flow of floricultural products from supplying countries to consumption markets. Another fundamental objective of Union Fleurs is to promote sound, fair and sustainable pre-competitive conditions for the worldwide floriculture trade by optimising policies and shaping an enabling environment.
To achieve this, Union Fleurs keeps a close eye on policy & regulatory developments in the field of international trade, phytosanitary policies and customs issues at EU and international levels that might have an impact on the floriculture trade and value-chain, and maintains an active dialogue with the EU authorities and other international bodies to give adequate visibility to the needs and specificities of the sector. Whenever the interests of the floriculture trade need to be further promoted or safeguarding, Union Fleurs coordinates advocacy & lobbying activities, in cooperation with its members and if needed with other representative organisations of the floriculture and agricultural sectors.
In 2015, Union Fleurs has especially followed developments and actively lobbied in the following areas: Reform of the EU Plant
Health Regime, in particular phytosanitary controls at import into the EU.
Trade negotiations and market access issues, in particular EU-Kenya/EAC EPA negotiations, market access to Russia for EU plant products.
Phytosanitary issues and technical barriers to trade.
Reform of the EU promotion policy for agricultural products.
Overview of meetings attended in 2015:
Reform of the EU Plant Health Regime
Reform of the EU promotion policy for agricultural products
EU Civil Dialogue Group – Flowers & Ornamental Plants
EU Civil Dialogue Group – Promotion of Agricultural Products
Meetings on SPS / market access technical barrriers
Regular meetings with the European Institutions: DG Agriculture, DG SANCO (Plant Health), DG TRADE, European Parliament
Meetings with Embassies of third countries in Brussels
Regular meetings and contacts with other sectoral trade associations
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VOICING THE VIEWS AND INTERESTS OF THE FLORICULTURE TRADE & SUPPLY-CHAIN
USAID - Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Conference: “Repositioning Kenya’s horticulture industry for sustainable growth & profitability”
With the objective to support continuous growth of the Kenya horticulture industry, the Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Project (KHCP) held a large-scale conference on 22 January 2015 in Nairobi (Kenya) to mark the release of the USAID/KHCP Global Competitiveness Study, which seeks to identify and diagnose critical constraints to the Kenya Horticulture industry’s performance on global markets (e.g. rising production costs, long transport times, poor regulatory compliance). Organised in partnership with the Kenya Flower Council and other key players in the Kenya Horticulture industry, the Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Conference marked a starting point to defining and implementing a strategic action plan to reposition the industry over the next five years.
Sylvie Mamias, Union Fleurs Secretary General, was invited on this occasion to share with the conference attendees a global picture of the dynamics of the international trade in cut flowers and to identify key trends and prospects for Kenya flower exports. The audience consisted of more than 400 delegates from Kenya, including senior policy makers, exporters, growers, academics, government officials and technical advisors. Other key speakers at the conference included representatives from major retailers, direct sales organizations and agribusiness leaders. The conference proved a very interesting event and gained large coverage in Kenya national media, demonstrating once more the importance of the horticulture business for the country.
In the context of a visit of Dr Esther Kimani, Ag. Managing Director of KEPHIS (Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service) to the Netherlands organised by the Dutch NPPO in July 2015, Union Fleurs helped organise a series of meetings in Brussels to facilitate exchange of views between KEPHIS and officials of the European Commission on EU Plant health rules and requirements applicable to imports in plants & plant products from non-EU countries. A constructive dialogue between the authorities of Kenya as a major flower-exporting country and those of the EU as its main destination market is more than crucial to ensure that the priorities, needs and constraints of each parties are well-known and taken into account in the development of consistent and efficient plant health rules, allowing thereby to protect destination countries against risks of plant pests while also taking into account the operational needs of economic operators and promoting efficient trade flows and consistent phytosanitary procedures along the floriculture supply-chain.
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Union Fleurs President Herman de Boon was invited to speak at a Conference organised on 3 December 2915 by CIOPORA - the International Association of Breeders of Asexually Reproduced Ornamental and Fruit Varieties.
The Conference, entitled “Venlo II: The Future of Patents and Plant Breeders Rights in Horticulture “, focussed on the future of IP Protection systems for breeders’ innovations and was very-well attended. Herman de Boon brought forward during his presentation the perspective of the floriculture trade on the issue of Plant Breeders Rights and Patents.
IPPC Global Symposium on ePhyto :
Union Fleurs Secretary General Sylvie Mamias was invited by the Secretariat of the IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention – to which 182 countries currently adhere and which aims to protect cultivated and wild plants by preventing the introduction and spread of pests) to participate in a Global Symposium dedicated to “Implementation of ePhyto” (electronic phytocertification). The Symposium took place in Incheon, South Korea in November 2015 and was well attended by more than 70 government representatives from the IPPC member countries.
The objective of the Symposium was for the IPPC member countries to take stock in progress made so far towards the implementation of harmonised electronic phytosanitary systems on a worldwide scale and to set out an action plan to complete harmonization in the years to come. Several industry representatives were invited to speak to present the views of private operators on these issue. Sylvie Mamias was asked to present on behalf of Union Fleurs the views of flower business operators, which are of central interest to government representatives as the flower industry is a major user of phytosanitary certification systems worldwide.
The Union Fleurs presentation was very well received and the Symposium has overall proven to be a great platform for Union Fleurs to draw some positive and necessary attention from Government officials across the globe to the needs of the global flower trade in terms of electronic phytosanitary certification and highlight the specific logistical constraints the industry is faced with due to the perishability of products - which creates challenges and extra-pressure on phytosanitary certification systems very different from those of products with a longer life-cycle.
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PROMOTING A SUSTAINABLE FLORICULTURE SUPPLY – CHAIN: Union Fleurs has been involved in and strongly committed to the mission and ambition of the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) from its very start, first as a founding member, then as a participant to the initial Working groups on the Equivalency Tool and Governance and finally as representative of the Trade in the FSI board since 2013 (Richard Fox, Union
Fleurs Vice-President). Union Fleurs remains an active supporter of the initiative and is proud to see what has already been accomplished since 2013. The 30 members of FSI, leaders in the floriculture sector, share the ambition to reach the level of 90% of flowers and plants responsibly sourced by 2020. To this purpose, they actively and jointly engaged in 2014-2015 in various sustainability projects that help address key issues in production areas and along the supply- chain. With its unique knowledge of the international floricultural trade and supply-chain, Union Fleurs has been involved in 2015 with its Dutch member VGB in the Steering Group of one of the pivotal projects that will enable to measure volumes currently traded from responsible sources and assess them against FSI’s 90% ambition.
TRADE FAIRS
In 2015, Union Fleurs was present as usual on the major floricultural trade fairs. Either with its own booth – IPM in Essen, Germany and IFTF in Vijfhuizen, Netherlands or as a guest –-IFTEX in Nairobi, Kenya.
Union Fleurs active presence on these trade fairs is valued by both the members and industry players who take the opportunity to meet up informally and understand better what is being done from Brussels and the added value of the work done by the Union Fleurs office.
MEETINGS & NETWORKING
Union Fleurs members are invited to participate in two Union Fleurs meetings per year, one in the Spring (General Assembly) and one in the Autumn, usually hosted by one of the member organisations. During these meetings, the Board, secretariat and Committee Chairmen report to the members on the activities carried out by Union Fleurs in the course of the year - lobbying activities, information, ongoing issues, etc.
Any issue of importance to the floriculture trade and value-chain can be discussed among the members. Members are invited to bring up any issue affecting trade from or to their country, in order to identify priorities for action and guide the activities of Union Fleurs in the field of lobbying, promotion and sectoral representation. The meetings are also a great opportunity to network and meet relevant players from all the major floriculture countries. Professional visits are usually organized to show the floriculture business in the country hosting the meeting.
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The 2015 General Assembly was held from 16 to 19 April 2015 in Sainte Maxime, in the South of France and near the city of Hyères, one of the most dynamic flower production zones in France and where the main French flower auction is established. 40 participants from 15 countries attended.
Participants visited the Hyères Flower auction at the peak of its morning activity and three flower growers specialised in mini-Gerberas, Peonies, Alstroemerias and Cymbidium, which provided an insightful overview of what the floriculture of the Var region has to offer.
During the General Assembly meeting, Union Fleurs members were briefed on the association’s activities in 2014-2015 and on the various successful advocacy and lobbying actions carried out in the field of trade, market access and phytosanitary rules by the Union Fleurs office in Brussels. A presentation on the main dynamics of the French flower & plants market was given on behalf of Val’hor, the umbrella branch organization for ornamental horticulture in France, by Maxime François, President of the FGFP (French Federation of wholesalers in cut flowers & plants).
Building on the work carried out during the previous General Assembly and further developed by the Union Fleurs Board of Directors and Secretary General in the course of the year, Union Fleurs members also took part in a strategic workshop. It provided useful inputs on the priority goals identified so far and contributed to the definition of an action plan to actively support the implementation of these goals from 2016.
With its productive outputs and fruitful atmosphere, the 2015 General Assembly showed once more how Union Fleurs, as a member-driven organization, deeply relies on constructive contributions from its members and shall constantly promote dialogue and interactivity within the association, for the benefit of all.
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The 2015 Autumn Meeting took place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands from 6 to 9 November 2015 and
was attended by over 30 participants from 15 countries. The meeting was arranged in the continuity
of the International Flower Trade Fair (IFTF) to allow for a more significant participation from the whole
flower industry. Union Fleurs teamed up with MPS and VGB who hosted the event as part of MPS’ 20th
anniversary celebrations and the 40 years of VGB.
During the Union Fleurs meeting, members discussed the final aspects of the Union Fleurs strategic
review and agreed on a final framework to bring added value and discerning guidelines to future Union
Fleurs activities. Officials from the Dutch NPPO (National Plant Protection Organisation) joined the
meeting to present the ongoing phytosanitary issues of interest to Union Fleurs members, and
exchange views on the current and future challenges for international trade.
Professional visits in the Westlands took participants to a Anthurium and Phalaenopsis breeder, a
Phalaenopsis grower and a Rose grower. Union Fleurs members were joined by Florint members (the
International Florist Association), holding their Annual Congress the same week-end, for a boat tour
of Rotterdam Harbour, one of the largest in the world. The Gala Dinner organised jointly by MPS, VGB,
Union Fleurs and Florint attracted more than 100 guests from the flower industry.
The Union Fleurs Autumn meeting closed on 9 November afternoon with a large-scale industry seminar “Shaping the Future of Floriculture”, organized with MPS and VGB on the emblematic ship “SS Rotterdam”. High-level speakers from across the floriculture value-chain discussed in front of an audience of more than 300 guests the impact that disruptive innovations and sustainability could have on the future of the floriculture sector, and how all supply-chain players can anticipate and adapt to adequately prepare so as to turn these challenges into valuable opportunities.
Union Fleurs President Herman de Boon concluded this highly successful event by emphasizing on the need and importance of collaboration at international level: “We must ensure that there is open communication and maximum transparency, and create a situation in which relevant data is shared.”
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PUBLICATIONS: EUROPHYT REPORTS & STATISTICS
New-look Union Fleurs monthly reports on phytosanitary interceptions at the EU borders (EUROPHYT):
In order to optimise the use of the information contained in the monthly EUROPHYT lists of phytosanitary interceptions that Union Fleurs has been circulating to its members every month since 2011, a new two-page overview has been developed by the Union Fleurs office in 2015. Starting August 2015, and updated every month since then, these new-look Union Fleurs monthly reports now provide:
The Union Fleurs monthly EUROPHYT reports with summary statistics are a unique monitoring tool developed and produced by the Union Fleurs office for the exclusive benefit of Union Fleurs members, and aim to help better assess potential phytosanitary issues and emerging risks.
1. Summary statistics of all phytosanitary interceptions at the EU (and Swiss) borders reported into the EUROPHYT database since the beginning of the year for the following 3 categories:
cut flowers & foliage,
plants (already planted)
and bonsai.
2. A comparison with the total number of phytosanitary interceptions reported in past years.
3. A breakdown of the total number of interceptions for those exporting countries most notified in EUROPHYT– to monitor the performance of these countries in the ongoing year and in comparison with previous years and to assess trends.
4. A breakdown of the interceptions of specific harmful organisms for the top exporting origins to the EU – to be able to identify emerging risks and anticipate potential issues at import into the EU.
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In addition to these monthly reports, Union Fleurs has produced every year since 2012 an annual overview and detailed summary statistics on EUROPHYT interceptions reported during the previous year. The 2014 Report was released in November 2015 and distributed to members during the Autumn meeting. It provides a documented yearly overview of EUROPHYT interceptions reported in 2014 for cut flowers and foliage, plants (already planted) and bonsais. To put the plant health performance of origin countries into perspective, the EUROPHYT data is completed with EUROSTAT trade statistics, which show the actual ratio between EUROPHYT interceptions and imports into the EU. The Union Fleurs Annual EUROPHYT Reports are produced for the exclusive benefit of Union Fleurs members and have proven on many instances a useful and unique information and monitoring tool, in particular to support Union Fleurs advocacy work and dialogue with the European and international phytosanitary authorities.
EUROPHYT – EU notification and rapid alert system dealing with interceptions for plant health reasons of consignments of plants and plant products imported into the EU (and Switzerland) or being traded within the EU itself.
The AIPH - Union Fleurs Yearbook of International Statistics: Flowers and Plants is a unique and complete reference for international market research and analysis in ornamental horticulture. It is compiled every year by the Zentrum für Betriebswirtschaft im Gartenbau (ZGB) of the Leibniz University of Hannover.
The 63rd volume of the Yearbook released in 2015 offers the most detailed and up-to-date information available on the global production and trade in ornamental flowers and plants. Production data from 46 countries worldwide are covered, with a detailed breakdown for 37 countries, together with additional information on market data and the state of global import and export.
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INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS
The UNION FLEURS MEDIA REVIEW is a weekly selection of online news items distributed exclusively to Union Fleurs members that allows a comprehensive perception of the topics and issues picked up by the media in general and around the globe. It features articles in English and in other languages to fit Union Fleurs multi-lingual audience.
Every year in February, Union Fleurs releases a VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL EDITION of its media review as this period of the year tends to be propitious for opinion pieces and articles about the issues faced by the global production and trade of flowers.
In 2015, journalists and bloggers chose to focus on supply chain challenges for the industry on Valentine's Day. Many articles explored the origins of the flowers, their transport and the logistics from farm to shelf. Business and consumer issues such as price setting and new flower trends were also big hits.
“KEY NOTES” is a quarterly, free publication for industry relations that provides a selection of industry news with focus on information and updates on Union Fleurs events, activities and membership. The Newsletter includes a special column called “Members’ Corner”, in which Union Fleurs members are offered the possibility to communicate about their own events and activities to the Union Fleurs network.
Target: broad audience of industry relations, including Union Fleurs members, partners & network all over the world.
Frequency: quarterly
Content: Updates on Union Fleurs activities & events, ongoing work and projects, news from our members and partners.
Since 2013, Union Fleurs has dedicated special efforts to upgrade and revamp its information streams and communication tools. Following the success of the electronic Newsletters introduced in 2013, Union Fleurs has continued improving its information & communication services to make the most of today’s digital era and offer Union Fleurs members extra knowledge, insight and intelligence on what is going on in the global floricultural trade and markets.
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UNION FLEURS MEMBERS
This Annual Report provides a general overview of UNION FLEURS’ activities carried out in 2015.
The UNION FLEURS office would like to thank the UNION FLEURS Board of Directors and the members for their support and inputs throughout the past year and for the fruitful co-operation.
CONTACT DETAILS:
UNION FLEURS aisbl International Flower Trade Association
Rue de Trèves 49-51, Box 14 B- 1040 Brussels
T: +32 2 231 06 38 F: +32 2 732 67 66
www.unionfleurs.org
EU Register of Interest Representatives
(ETI): 14864192565-82
THE UNION FLEURS OFFICE IN BRUSSELS:
Sylvie Mamias Secretary General (General enquiries, Union Fleurs activities, membership information, lobbying & advocacy) T: +32 2 736 79 97 Email: [email protected]
Romans Vorss Policy Adviser (Phytosanitary and plant health - related issues) T : +32 2 280 21 65 Email: [email protected]
Felix Brandenburg Policy Adviser (Trade, tariffs and trade-related issues) T: +32 2 736 68 73 Email: [email protected]
Caroline Le Grand Communications Officer (Newsletters, Website, Media Reviews, Information & Communications Tools) T: +32 2 231 06 38 Email: [email protected]
UNION FLEURS
www.unionfleurs.org
