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On 16/12/2024, the EU Working Party on Wine Policy endorsed the document "Policy Recommendations for the Future of the EU Wine Sector" in the context of the current structural surplus, the decline in demand and the growing challenges on export markets in the wine sector. Among the group's key recommendations are grubbing-up schemes to reduce production capacity, export promotion, product adaptation to changing consumer preferences and the development of wine tourism. Significant attention is paid to the preservation of regional identity and sustainability, with flexibility of measures to allow adaptation to the specific needs of Member States. The European institutions have been urged to rapidly implement the proposed measures to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the sector.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has committed to presenting the long-awaited Vision for Agriculture and Food within 100 days of the new European Commission taking office. The Vision should be based on the results of the Strategic Dialogue and overseen by Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen. According to the working version of the plan, the European Commission could publish the Vision as early as 19/02/2025.

On 28/11/2024, the European Commission published the report "Tracking EU agri-food trade: developments in August 2024", which shows that the EU agri-food trade surplus reached €5.2 billion in August 2024, a slight decrease compared to July. The overall surplus since January totals EUR 44.8 billion. EU exports of agri-food products reached EUR 18.6 billion, with the UK and the US being the main destinations, while exports to China and Russia declined. Imports amounted to €13.4 billion, with the largest increase in imports of coffee, cocoa and spices, while imports of oilseeds fell by 13%. Olives and olive oil recorded the largest increase in exports (+58%), while cereal exports fell by 13% due to lower prices.
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On 07/12/2023, the European Commission presented a proposal for a revision of the almost 20-year-old rules on animal welfare during transport, targeting changes to the rules in relation to outside temperatures or the space in which animals are transported. In the European Parliament, the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) is responsible for drafting the opinion together with the EP Committee on Transport (TRAN). Under the new European Parliament rules, these two committees will have to work together to produce one common position on the Commission's proposal. In COMAGRI, the rapporteur on animal welfare during transport is Romanian MEP Daniel Buda (EPP), who said in October 2024 that he planned to wait for the publication of an internal study currently being worked on by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), but that the work on the study would take several more months (it should be completed in the first quarter of 2025). According to Buda, more data is needed before the committee meeting to properly assess how the new rules will be implemented and how they will affect the livestock sector. But the postponement of work in COMAGRI is not supported by the TRAN committee, where Luxembourg MEP Tilly Metz (Greens) is co-rapporteur. Metz said that as rapporteur for the TRAN Committee, she considers it a top priority to start work on the draft regulation on animal transport as soon as possible, and that there is no need to wait for the EPRS study. Daniel Buda and Tilly Metz had agreed on 20/11/2024 on a timetable for the discussion of Parliament's position on animal welfare during transport. According to the rapporteurs, the Plenary of the European Parliament should vote on its own position (but the draft has not yet been presented) by the end of 2025, ideally in November 2025 according to Tilly Metz, but more likely in December 2025 according to Daniel Buda.

During the summer months, the European Commission proposed to cut the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget by €440 million between 2025 and 2027, which would affect in particular the programmes for the promotion of agricultural products (the budget for promotion programmes would be cut by €93.9 million, while multi-programmes would be abolished completely, according to the Commission's proposal). Programmes already in force should not be affected by the budget cuts - so programmes approved in 2024 should be guaranteed funding even if the budget is reduced in 2025-2027. The European Commission's decision to eliminate funding for multi-programmes, i.e. programmes involving at least two organisations from at least two EU Member States or one or more EU organisations, could limit the reach of promotion programmes and disadvantage smaller Member States and beneficiaries who depend on this support for their promotion campaigns, according to European farmers' organisations. However, in view of the critical situation in the agricultural sector, including the catastrophic effects of adverse weather conditions, the European Commission has in recent weeks already considered modifying the original proposal and providing at least partial funding for the promotion programmes. During the CMO Committee meeting on 20/11/2024, the European Commission will officially propose to Member States a budget of €132 million for the promotion of agricultural products in 2025, which is €53.9 million less than in 2024. The reduction will affect communication campaigns involving more than one Member State (i.e. the aforementioned multi-programmes) and Commission initiatives such as visits to potentially interesting markets for EU agri-food businesses. Support for single country projects ("single" programmes) remains unchanged from 2024 (€92 million).
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