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Last week, the European Commission published a work programme according to which the Commission should present a draft of Circular Economy Action Plan on 04/03/2020. According to preliminary information, the action plan should ensure the sustainability of European production, circulation and reducing the environmental impact of EU production. By the end of 2030, only sustainable products meeting the principles of the circular economy should be placed on EU markets. The action plan should cover plastics, textiles, construction and mobility; soil degradation; decontamination of contaminated soils; incorporating nutrients into the soil; commercial practices in the context of food trade; promoting innovations, investments and research.

Finnish MEP Elsi Katainen (Renew Europe) published last week a draft report on the transition period for the CAP. Katainen states that farmers need to ensure continuity and stability, so a transitional period of one year could, if necessary, be extended to two years. According to Katainen, the transitional period should be based on the current CAP rules financed from the new budget. The rapporteur rejected the Commission's proposal to cut the budget for the CAP, particularly in the context of farmers' already low incomes compared to other sectors. According to Katainen, Member States should be able to increase co-financing the second pillar of the CAP to ensure the same level of funding as is now available. Katainen will present her proposal to the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development on 17-18/02/2020, and the members of the Committee will be allowed to table amendments to the report by 25/02/2020. The committee should vote on the adoption of the report 27-28/04/2020, after which the proposal will be submitted to the EP plenary for approval - probably 15-18/06/2020 or 06-09/07/2020.

The Spanish Minister of Agriculture, together with the Ministers of Agriculture of the other twenty EU Member States, supported the strengthening of the budget for the Common Agricultural Policy. According to ministers, the volume of funds should be the same as in the previous period in order to better meet the requirements of the European Green Deal and to enable Member States to face new challenges related to the new green policy. The small budget correction proposed by the Finnish Presidency for the CAP is not enough, according to Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas. Spanish coalition government declared "climate emergency" on 21/01/2020, Spain will strive to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
More information is available here and here.

The Council of Ministers (27/01/2020) held a debate on Germany's proposal to introduce a voluntary animal welfare labelling system, which would inform consumers about the animal welfare not only on the farm, but also during transport and at slaughter. Transparent labelling of animal welfare could help to improve animal husbandry conditions, reduce dependence on antibiotics, reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance, or strengthen consumer confidence. The general support of the proposal was expressed by most Member States (ES, IT, AT, DK, FR, CY, PT, SE, NL, LV, PL, HU, BE, SI, LU, EL, BG, MT, FI and RO). At the same time, Member States called on the EC to assess the impact of the introduction of this labelling system at EU level. Voluntary labelling already works in DK and NL.
More information is available here.

The association EU FEDIOL, representing the European vegetable oil sector, has rejected the current NutriScore nutrition labelling scheme, but has suggested possible changes. The current NutriScore setting makes it impossible to improve the rating of single-component foods, including vegetable oils and fats, and these foods are classified as C / D, i.e. unhealthy. For these foods, NutriScore recommends reducing their consumption. According to FEDIOL, however, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers vegetable oils with a high content of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids as beneficial and recommends them as a part of a healthy diet. FEDIOL therefore proposes changes based on existing health and nutrition claims and WHO recommendations on rapeseed oil, walnut oil, soy and olive oil, but also flax oil. The NutriScore system should also be objectively revised, with a review planned for 2021.
More information is available here.