News

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in her previous observations that the European Commission will present the main European strategies, including the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy, within 100 days of the commencement of the new Commission. The Commission takes over the mandate from 01/12/2019; the 100-day deadline expires 09/03/2020. However, according to recent observations, strategies could be presented as of 11/12/2019 after approval by the College of Commissioners - but it should not be a legislative proposal, but rather the initial ideas of the European Commission, the main pillars and aspects of the strategies. In January 2020, the Commission should organize a workshop for Member States to discuss the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy, in February a public consultation on the strategies should be launched.

A total of 149 organizations, including representatives of the FoodDrinkEurope producers and dairy producers of the European Dairy Association, presented on 26/11/2019 a common long-term EU strategy for industrial sectors in the European Union. The strategy has been developed to support the requirements of the new European Commission, which will take over the mandate from 01/12/2019. Representatives of the organizations in this strategy ask the Commission to ensure an ambitious European strategy for industry. Sustainability, strengthening research and innovation, strengthening access to finance, strengthening the EU single market or improving the conditions for European industry in the framework of international trade agreements should be a key aspect of the new strategy. According to industry representatives, the new strategy should be ambitious so that European industry will be able to compete with other world countries and communities. According to industry, there should be stable, predictable and coherent legislation in the EU.
More information is available here.

European farmers in a number of member countries, including Germany, France, Poland and Lithuania, have organized a number of protests in recent weeks. About 10,000 farmers took part in agricultural protests in France, partially blocking tractors in one of the main thoroughfares Champs-Élysées in Paris - farmers demonstrated against European Union trade agreements with Canada and Mercosur, banning the use of active substances, to ensure government support in negotiations on prices with representatives of retail chains, as well as against attacks by environmental organizations. French Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume said that the French government will support farmers in negotiations with retail chains, but according to protest organizers, it is now necessary to turn words into action. There were protests in Germany on 26/11/2019 in Berlin, where thousands of tractors crippled the city - farmers protested against dumping prices in supermarkets and against the introduction of strict environmental rules limiting the use of fertilizers and insecticides.
More information is available here.

Nestlé, a Swiss food company, will introduce nutrition labelling for foods using the Nutri-Score colour scheme. The label will be used in countries that have officially accepted the Nutri-Score as the main nutrition label for foods (AT, BE, FR, DE and CH) since the first half of 2020. All other products wholly owned by Nestlé (e.g. Kit-Kat chocolate, Chocapic, Nescafé coffee) will be labelled with NutriScore over the next 2 years. Dutch State Secretary for Health and Sport Paul Blokhuis said last week that the Netherlands will also adopt a Nutri-Score system. However, the Netherlands will only adopt NutriScore since mid-2021, as some aspects of the colour scheme do not fully comply with the Dutch nutrition and dietary guidelines.
More information is available here and here.

The McDonald's fast food chain launched innovative ‘Better M’ platform on 14/11/2019, which aims to introduce environmentally positive changes in the sustainable supply chain, minimize plastic volumes and recycle packaging materials in the European Union. One of the first steps should be to replace plastic caps for some products with innovative fibre-based caps, which in France alone will reduce the volume of plastics by 1,200 tonnes. The lids should be replaced throughout the European Union by the end of 2020. Likewise, McDonald's is now testing alternatives for plastic spoons, paper or wooden spoon options, and straw drinking straws.
More information is available here.