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Negotiations on trade relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom started on 02/03/2020, the first round was concluded on 05/03/2020. Both sides discussed 11 topics, covering trade in goods, services and investment, a level playing field, transport, fishing, and UK participation in EU programs. EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier warned the UK against withdrawing from the protocol with Northern Ireland if the agreement with the EU is to be concluded by the end of 2020. Negotiations will continue. More information is available here.

The European Council discussed the Multiannual Financial Framework 20-21/02/2020 but did not reach a conclusion. The next European Council is due to take place at the end of March 2020. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will now have to draw up a new negobox, a document containing financial allocations and concrete proposals for some related measures, including capping or external convergence. However, four EU Member States - Austria, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands - still refuse to raise the EU budget above 1% of GNP, however, the Netherlands's position is very strict, refusing to negotiate budget increases. On the other hand, Hungary supports the budget increase to almost 1.3% of GNP. The increase to 1.3% of GNP is also supported by the European Parliament, which, according to Manfred Weber, chairman of the EPP's largest political group, will not support the Council's position until there has been a shift away from cutting the EU budget.
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Charles Michel, President of the European Council, endorsed a proposal to introduce a tax on non-recyclable plastics in mid-February to allocate new financial resources to the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework beyond 2020. Over 90 organizations representing the packaging industry, including FoodDrinkEurope, published last week a common position rejecting the proposal to introduce this tax. According to the organizations, the proposal should be either withdrawn or reviewed. According to the European Commission, the tax could generate EUR 6.6 billion per year, but organizations representing the packaging industry argue that the implementation of the tax would make it necessary to additionally strengthen funding from industry, which is already trying to adapt to the recent wave of legislative changes. Organizations could also see increased fees associated with the providing of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), while potential tax revenue would not help to address packaging waste problems as it would be directed to the general EU budget - not to address specific relevant challenges. According to the European Commission proposal, France (EUR 1.37 billion), Germany (EUR 1.32 billion), Italy (EUR 0.84 billion) and Spain (EUR 0.53 billion) would pay the biggest tax (calculations available here).
More information is available here.

The European Commission is still working on the Farm to Fork Strategy, which should be published later this month. Last week there were further unconfirmed information on measures that the Commission could include in the Strategy, including a study to assess the economic, environmental and societal impacts of the production and consumption of the most consumed foods on the market. According to the latest information, the Commission is not yet considering supporting the reduction of the production or consumption of certain foods but could mention the promotion of the production of plant-based meat alternatives. Furthermore, the Commission should focus on reducing dependence on synthetic chemical pesticides and preventing soil over-fertilization, while continuing to focus on extending the area of organic farming.

On 19/02/2020, the first Vice-President of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development Francisco Guerreiro (PT, Greens) sent a written question to the European Commission on the plant-based meat alternatives and their support under the Farm to Fork Strategy. Guerreiro noted that, according to the United Nations (UN), agriculture on a global scale threatens to achieve the goal of limiting the planet's warming to 1.5 ° C, according to the UN, plant food and sustainable livestock production should also be promoted. In this context, Guerreiro raised three questions to the Commission: whether the European Commission will address the promotion of plant-based diets in the Farm to Fork Strategy (according to Guerreira, the Commission should avoid using vague terms such as 'diets that are more sustainable' or 'alternative sources of protein', which only lead to confusion for consumers, the difficult enforcement of crop production, and further support for highly polluting livestock businesses); whether the Commission will follow the scientific communities’ conclusions that plant-based foods are significantly more environmentally friendly and climate-friendly compared to animal-derived and that meat consumption should be reduced; and finally whether, within the framework of the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Commission will introduce incentives for farmers’ transition to plant protein production and measures for the marketing of plant-based foods in the European Union. The European Commission has not yet answered the question. Guerreiro is the first MEP in the history of the European Parliament elected for the People Animals Nature party.
More information is available here.