News




Negotiations on the CAP in the European Parliament are still suspended, further cooperation between the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on the Environment will be discussed in the coming week

Following the decision of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (COMENVI) to conclude the joint negotiations on CAP reform with the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI), work on the CAP within the European Parliament is still suspended. COMAGRI called on COMENVI last week to resolve the situation and consider further cooperation, the topic should be discussed during the coming week. If the committees do not reach an agreement, they are likely to continue to negotiate separately to secure a majority for their own opinions in the plenary vote.

The transitional period for the CAP should last for two years, an agreement in the trialogue could be reached by 30/06/2020

Last week, MEP Elsi Katainen (Renew, FI), the European Parliament's rapporteur on the rules for the transitional period of the CAP, reported on the progress of negotiations on the trialogue between Parliament, the Commission, and the Council. The institutions now unanimously support extending the transitional period for the CAP to two years. According to Katainen, a final agreement could be reached by 30/06/2020.

European leaders negotiated the Multiannual Financial Framework, no agreement reached

On 19/06/2020 EU leaders discussed during the European Summit a new proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) presented by the Commission on 27/05/2020. According to the Commission's proposal, the new MFF should amount to € 1.1 trillion, complemented by a recovery plan called the EU's Next Generation of € 750 million. However, due to differing attitudes between Member States to increase the MFF, no agreement was reached, Council President Charles Michel should now start negotiations with individual Member States, with another summit scheduled for mid-July.
More information is available here.

The European Committee of the Regions has launched a public consultation on Farm to Fork, with a deadline of 30/06/2020

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is working on its own opinion on Farm to Fork, should be completed by December 2020. The CoR therefore launched a public consultation in mid-June to gather the views of stakeholders. The CoR prepared for consultation a total of ten questions focused on the definition of short supply chains, the functionality of the system during the coronavirus crisis, the transparency of supply chains, sustainable and responsible consumption, and the reduction of food waste. The CoR also emphasizes that the food system is dominated by large agri-food businesses, while small businesses are at a disadvantage, and calls for proposals to strengthen their market access. The Committee also mentions the need to link CAP and Farm to Fork rules, contributors can now submit their contributions on this topic as well. The consultation is only open until 30/06/2020.
More information is available here.

Legally binding targets for food waste reduction will be based on the results of pan-European monitoring

Food and Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said last week that the Commission would build on the first round of pan-European monitoring when setting legally binding food waste reduction targets. The Commission will also aim to include the reduction of food waste and food losses in relevant related EU policies.