Inaugurated in 1961 on the initiative of the professional Exchanges of Mannheim (D) and Strasbourg (F), the European Commodities Exchange, whose headquarters are at the Strasbourg Commodities Exchange, has grown over the years to take in 37 Exchanges from 12 different countries. Its reputation and influence broadly exceed the context of commercial business in the strictest sense. The Exchanges are not stock exchanges in the customary sense of this expression but cereals markets which group operators from the seed, fertilizer, animal feed and related product sectors, as well as the tertiary sector (banks, transport, insurance, etc.).
Its primary mission is to organize “Exchange Days”. Each year, in one of Europe’s major cities, the European Commodities Exchange asserts the representative activities of the members of the Exchanges through the increasing success of its meetings. In practice, they offer the opportunity for the players in the cereal sector to meet each other face to face, discuss the market’s future, establish contacts and consolidate their relationship of reciprocal trust.
Europe, our Europe, is now being opened to new members from the agri-food professions looking for commercial or technical contacts and direct mutual dialogue: thus, the human nutrition market widens and the information available to professionals and their impact on the policies of the competent bodies develops.
Today, the member Exchanges are vying for the honor of hosting more than 3000 participants; the 58th European Commodities Exchange Days will take place in Rouen on 25th and 26th October 2018.