News




The European Commission will present a Communication on the European Green Deal, probably in mid-December 2019

The new European Commission is likely to present a Communication on a European Green Deal on 11/12/2019, which will become, together with another Farm to Fork strategy, a pivotal strategy for all policies across the EU. The Green Deal Communication is expected to be approved by the College of Commissioners within the first 100 days of the start of the new Commission.
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The European institutions have agreed on the budget for 2020, with a total of 20% of the budget allocated to climate actions

On 18/11/2019, the European Commission, Parliament and the Council reached an agreement on the European Union budget for 2020. The budget was set at € 168.69 billion in commitments (+ 1.5% compared to 2019) and € 153.57 billion in payments (+ 3.4% versus 2019); a total of € 1.5 billion was left to respond to unexpected events. Under the Common Agricultural Policy, the first pillar in 2020 should amount to € 44.48 billion, of which most (€ 41.5 billion) will be for direct payments. Within the second pillar budget should be € 14.7 billion in commitments and € 13.1 billion in payments. The crisis reserve will amount to € 478 million. Over 20% of the total budget for 2020 will be allocated to climate and adaptation measures; € 589.6 million (+ 5.6%) has been allocated to the LIFE Environment and Climate Change program for 2020 versus 2019). The EU Council and the European Parliament now have 14 days to formally approve the agreement; approval is expected for the Council on 25/11/2019 and for the European Parliament on 27/11/2019.

The European Parliament should confirm the new European Commission on 27/11/2019; the new Commission could then start its work on 01/12/2019

On 27/11/2019, the European Parliament's plenary will vote on the approval of all committees of Commissioners-designate, so that the new European Commission could become operational in early December 2019. The European Commission will have a total of 27 Commissioners; Great Britain is very likely not to nominate any candidate. Commissioners are now working to build their cabinets, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski becomes the representative of Poland, and Deputy Head of his Cabinet should then be a candidate from France. Other members of the Wojciechowski Cabinet, according to unconfirmed information, could consist of representatives of Italy and Germany.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to maintain the current level of financial support for farmers until 2024 in the event of his victory in the December 2019 elections

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has promised to maintain the current annual budget for farmers provided by the European Union, at least until 2024 as part of a seven-year transition period (i.e. two years longer than originally promised). However, the promise is conditional on the re-election of the Conservatives in the elections to the new parliament on 12/12/2019. Maintaining aid to help farmers in the UK move from a common EU agricultural policy to a new system replacing the CAP with an environmental land management system that will finance farmers for providing public goods (air and water quality, climate change measures, quality) soil, animal welfare, rural life and flood risk reduction). If the Conservatives win the UK elections, they will leave the EU and enter a transitional period at the end of January 2020, when they begin negotiating a trade agreement with the EU. By contrast, the British Centrist Liberal Democratic Party promises voters to stop Brexit, saving the UK economy the promised investment of £ 50 billion (€ 58 billion).
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The European Parliament's ENVI Committee seeks to draw up an opinion on deforestation

Members of the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety are seeking to draw up a non-binding own-initiative opinion on deforestation. The Chair of the Committee, Pascal Canfin (FR, Renew Europe), asked the Conference of Committee Chairs (CCC) of the European Parliament to approve the drafting of the opinion; the Chairs should consider the request on 26/11/2019. If the CCC decides to grant the request, it will still have to be approved by the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament on 12/12/2019. Delara Burkhardt (DE, S&D) should then become the rapporteur for opinion. The opinion could also address the issue of production labelling, i.e. whether or not deforestation has occurred in any step of cultivation or production of the resulting product, particularly in the context of trade agreements with third countries.