News

On 23/10/2019, the European Parliament adopted its resolution on the Council's position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020. The EU budget for 2020 was approved at almost € 171 billion in commitments (€ 2.7 billion more) than the European Commission proposal) & € 159.1 billion in payments. The approved budget also included an additional aid of € 30 million to support pork, poultry, beekeeping and other livestock production, and € 88 million to halt the loss and restore biodiversity. Parliament also supported a € 2 billion budget increase for climate protection and Erasmus + programs. The Council of the European Union will now have to reach agreement on the new EU 2020 budget by 18/11/2019. If not, the European Commission will be obliged to present a new draft budget.
More information is available here.

The European Commission has earmarked € 200 million to support the promotion of agri-food products in the EU and in third countries, with individual campaigns co-financed by the Commission at a rate of 70-85%. The amount should be used to finance a total of 81 campaigns (56 SIMPLE promotional programs, 25 MULTI programs - programs implemented in cooperation with organizations from several EU Member States). € 100 million is allocated for SIMPLE programs (23% of the budget for fruit and vegetables programs, 20% for meat, 14% for cheese and dairy products), with most programs approved in GR, FR, BE, ES, and PL. Over € 90 million has been allocated for MULTI programs. The remaining € 9.5 million is earmarked for the European Commission's own activities (communication campaigns in third countries, exhibition pavilions, etc.).
More information is available here.

On 18/10/2019, the European Commission has launched the Observatory to monitor the situation in the fruit and vegetable market. The Observatory should aim at enhancing transparency and awareness of the market situation of the sector, which represents around 24% of the value of EU agricultural production. The Observatory will monitor developments in specific commodities - apples, pears, citrus, peaches, nectarines, and tomatoes. The Observatory to monitor the situation on the wine market should also be launched in early November.
The observatory is available here.

Member States of the European Union voted last week during the SCOPAFF Standing Committee not to renew approval of active substance, Thiacloprid. Member States voted unanimously against the renewal of the license, with only the United Kingdom abstaining in view of the planned Brexit. The decisions should now be approved by the European Commission; the ban on the use of the substance will apply from 30/04/2020.

At its plenary session on 23/10/2019, the European Parliament approved the introduction of stricter rules for assessing the impact of plant protection products (PPP) on honeybees. The outcome of the vote was to block the European Commission's draft legislation adopted in summer 2019 by the Standing Committee on Pesticides Legislation, which set an acceptable threshold for the toxicity of bee-damaging pesticides. The original proposal was intended to incorporate the 2013 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Guidelines on options for reducing the use of pesticides that harm pollinators - but most Member States have rejected its full implementation. The European Commission will now have to come up with a new draft regulation based on the latest scientific and technical knowledge in view of the acute danger not only to honeybees but also to other pollinators.
More information is available here.