News

On 21/09/2020, the Commission adopted revised EU Emission Trading System State aid Guidelines (“ETS Guidelines”). The guidelines are developed in accordance with the Green Deal and will enter into force in early 2021. The guidelines aim to reduce the risk of relocation to countries with less lenient climate legislation, while allowing Member States to compensate some companies for the price of electricity.
More information is available here.

The environmental organization Greenpeace stated last week that livestock production in the EU is a greater polluter in terms of greenhouse gases than the transport sector. According to Greenpeace, livestock production is responsible for producing 17% of greenhouse gases in the EU, while emissions from passenger transport account for only 14.5%. In addition, according to Greenpeace, greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production are growing rapidly, by 6% between 2007 and 2018. Greenpeace further states that if livestock production includes indirect emissions from feed production or deforestation, total EU livestock emissions will reach 704 million tons of CO2, which is more than the total annual emissions of Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary together.
More information is available here.

Last week, the German Federal Cabinet approved the draft agricultural policy budget at national level for 2021. The new budget will increase by a record €643 million to a total of €7.7 billion. This is historically the largest budget for agricultural policy in Germany. A total of €470 million will be earmarked to support the economy in the forestry and wood processing sectors, and €200 million will be earmarked to strengthen welfare of sows.
More information is available here.

On 24/09/2020, the European Commission approved support for small Lithuanian agricultural holdings through the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI). The support will amount to €3 million, aimed at supporting small businesses in rural areas. The Commission has also approved state aid for Belgian potato producers, with the new scheme amounting to €10 million. The support will be released to farmers in the Flemish part of the country and should help them achieve the necessary liquidity and maintain their activity.
More information is available here.

Italy and the Czech Republic submitted to the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 21/09/2020 a joint declaration on the Commission's proposed mandatory harmonized system of front-of-pack nutrition labels (FOPNL). In the declaration, also supported by CY, GR, HU, LV and RO, Member States propose that any harmonized nutrition labelling scheme should remain voluntary, and that all foods bearing a traditional specialty guaranteed or a protected geographical indication as well as single foods (e.g. olive oil, honey, etc.) should be excluded from the nutrition labelling scheme.
More information is available here and here.