News

The European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to assess the authorization for issuing emergency licenses for the use of neonicotinoids in sugar beet production. EFSA will thus examine 21 issued 2020 licenses in 10 Member States. The expert opinion will be published in the second half of 2021, in the event of repeated unauthorized authorization of an emergency use of a substance, a Member State may be prohibited from continuing to grant such licenses.

An agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom, has still not been reached. Disagreements are primarily in fishing opportunities, level playing field provisions, and negotiating the administration of all future agreements. The Commission is preparing transport and fisheries measures to prepare for a possible UK departure on 01/01/2021 without an agreement, but such a situation will affect all sectors across Europe. The EP's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development draws attention to the catastrophic impact of Brexit without an agreement on the agri-food sector, in which case Ireland would be most affected. The United Kingdom is a major consumer of EU products, so members of the committee are calling for trade restrictions and the introduction of a new British food safety control system. Negotiations between the EU and the United Kingdom continue.
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Portugal will take over the Presidency of the Council from Germany in January 2021. Last week, Portugal presented the first brief document summarizing the Portuguese Presidency's priorities. Strengthening Europe's resilience and strengthening European citizens' confidence in the European social model were among the main priorities. Portugal has also included negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy among the priorities, an agreement on the CAP could be reached by June 2021. According to PT, in the field of agricultural policy, PT will focus mainly on innovation, knowledge sharing, digitization and sustainability of the agricultural sector. It will also focus on the forthcoming proposal for a long-term vision for rural areas, and PT should seek to reach Council conclusions on the proposal. In the context of the Farm to Fork Strategy, PT will focus on food security, animal health and welfare, plant health, and phytosanitary issues. The PT presidency will also address the implementation of the rules of the Multiannual Financial Framework and Brexit and the ratification of the trade agreement with Mercosur.
More information is available here.

The European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) met on 30/11/2020 and 01/12/2020 to discuss three important topics: the CAP transition period, the study on the interconnection of the CAP and the European Green Deal; and recommendations from the Commission to Member States for the elaboration of national strategic plans. The rapporteur for the EP's transitional regulation report, Elsi Katainen (Renew, FI), informed about the informal agreement of the European institutions on the rules for the transitional period. This should last for two years, with support available from 2021. In its vote, COMAGRI approved the agreement for a transitional period. The agreement must now be formally approved by the plenary of the European Parliament and the Council during December 2020. An agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework is also awaited, with Hungary currently blocking the agreement. A study commissioned by the European Parliament on the link between the CAP and the European Green Deal was also discussed. The study was prepared by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE, the study was presented in the European News of 29/11/2020). COMAGRI members described the report as political. The Greens' political faction in COMAGRI, on the other hand, supported the results of the study, but said the study was published too late. European Commission Representative Tassos Haniotis was also critical of the study, stating that the study did not reflect reality in the current context. On 01/12/2020, members of the Committee, together with Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, discussed the Commission's forthcoming recommendations to Member States on national strategic plans. According to the Commissioner, the European Commission is now working on making recommendations to the Member States, the recommendations should be submitted in mid-December 2020. The recommendations will be prepared for each Member State separately, according to the Commissioner it will not be a binding document. The aim is to set up CAP plans to ensure a balance between economic, environmental, and social indicators. A total of 15 recommendations will be set for each Member State.

On 02/12/2020, the Commission launched a public consultation on improving EU rules on environmental protection through criminal law. The initiative aims to protect the environment through criminal law, appropriate sanctioning, and cross-border cooperation. The consultation is open until 30/12/2020, available here.

On 04/12/2020, the Commission launched a public consultation on a contingency plan for EU food supplies and food security. The initiative aims to create a contingency plan for food supply and security in the European Union as part of the Farm to Fork strategy. The consultation is open until 30/12/2020, available here.