News

On 03/04/2020, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the launch of a new financing initiative that aims to unlock close to €1.6 billion of investment in the agriculture and bioeconomy sector. The financing aims to support private companies operating throughout the value chains of production and processing of food, bio-based materials and bioenergy. The programme will contribute to safeguard and create employment in rural areas and therefore promote rural development and territorial integration across the EU. The programme is a continuation of the first €400 million agriculture and bioeconomy programme loan that was launched in 2018 and is nearly fully committed.
More information is available here and here.

The European Commission issued Implementing Regulation 2020/466 of 30 March 2020 on temporary measures to contain risks to human, animal and plant health and animal welfare during certain serious disruptions of Member States’ control systems due to coronavirus disease. The Regulation strengthens Member States' flexibility in carrying out controls in the agri-food chain in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus through the movement of controllers and to facilitate the transport of animals, plants, food and feed within the EU.
More information is available here.

On 30/03/2020, the European Commission published practical guidance to ensure the free movement of critical workers. In recent weeks, the movement of workers has been limited due to the spread of coronavirus and the closure of borders, which in some sectors could endanger the viability of many businesses. The guidelines issued by the Commission apply to critical workers, including those working in healthcare, food and agriculture, as well as some public service workers. The Commission called on Member States to quickly ensure a smooth border crossing, including health checks, and seasonal farm workers should also be allowed to cross the border.
More information is available here.

Commission President von der Leyen said on Saturday 28/03/2020 that the Commission will prepare a proposal for a new stimulus package, which will include, inter alia, amendments to the EU budget currently under discussion for the period 2021-2027. The stimulus package should aim to tackle the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis. First and foremost, maximum flexibility should be ensured for the currently available budgets, including for example the budget for cohesion policy. However, the Commission will consider all available options to ensure the financing of the stimulus package, probably including CAP resources.

On 31/03/2020, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, held a videoconference of the top representatives of the European institutions, the video conference was attended by the Commission President von der Leyen, the President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde, and the President of the Eurogroup Mário Centeno. The representatives agreed that a coordinated exit strategy, a comprehensive recovery plan and unprecedented investment are required. "To jump-start the European economy, we will have to use all levers available, at national and European level. The EU budget will have to be adapted to this crisis," said Charles Michel.
More information is available here and here.

Despite the delays caused by the current coronavirus crisis, the European Commission continues its preparations for the Farm to Fork Strategy, whose publication has been postponed from 25/03/2020 to 29/04/2020. Commission representatives reiterated that the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy will continue to be the main priority of the Commission once the COVID-19 problem has been resolved. However, representatives of agricultural organizations within Copa and Cogeca are calling for the postponement of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy, according to them all attention should now be focused on addressing and mitigating the effects of coronavirus on the agri-food sector. The European Parliament also called for the Farm to Fork Strategy negotiations to be postponed. However, last week the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed the Commission's interest in presenting the Farm to Fork Strategy by the end of April.
More information is available here.