News

The Romanian Competition Authority has launched an online platform to monitor retail food prices. The platform provides consumers with the ability to search for food at the best price or availability, so consumers do not have to physically visit stores to compare prices and availability of the desired goods. The platform does not work as an online store, it is informational in nature. Taken together, it provides consumers with information on about 30,000 products from more than 1,700 different stores. The aim of setting up the platform is to motivate consumers to choose a more favourable offer, thereby increasing competition in the retail food market.
More information is available here.

The countries of the enlarged Visegrad Group (CZ, HU, PL, SK, BG, HR, RO and SI) called on the Council of Ministers on 14/10/2019 in a statement to the Commission to increase the co-financing rate for the costs of fighting African swine fever (ASF). Co-financing is now based on each Member State's income data, which in effect reflects only a fraction of the costs actually incurred. The group also called for enhanced cooperation in research into disease epidemiology, focusing on feral pig behaviour, enhancing bio-safety, and enhancing public awareness of the disease. The opinion of the enlarged V4 was supported by Germany.
More information is available here and here.

French Minister Didier Guillaume presented on 14/10/2014 to the Council of Ministers an opinion supported by DK, EE, IT and LV on new possibilities for the management of wolf populations in the EU. Management should rely on best practices of regional practice, while ensuring flexibility in the implementation of guidelines on the strict protection system for animal species. The population of wolves in Europe is growing rapidly, according to information from the European Parliament in 2018; the population of wolves in the EU was about 17,000. According to Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, it is important to find a balance between the growing population of wolves and the activities of farmers and herdsmen to ensure sustainable coexistence.
More information is available here.

The Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, at the Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on 14/10/2019, asked the European Commission to approve special measures to protect Spanish farmers against customs duties imposed by the US. Planned customs duties on EU goods worth $ 7.5 billion are a response to subsidization of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. According to Planas, customs duties could affect, in particular, the Spanish production and export of olives, olive oil, wine, cheese, pork and citrus fruits. Although France was one of the largest providers of subsidies to Airbus, it was the only EU exporter exempt from agricultural duties on alcohol, cheese, butter and yoghurt, olive oil, pork and sausages, juices, as well as textiles and machinery. Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan said the Commission would allow some market measures (e.g. storage options) to be used for olives and olive oil.
More information is available here.

On 14/10/2019, the Committee on Budgets of the European Parliament approved a proposal to extend the period of payment of EU agricultural subsidies to UK farmers until the end of 2020 if Britain leaves the EU without an agreement. Thus, in 2019 and 2020, British farmers would still be entitled to receive support from the Common Agricultural Policy. The proposal has yet to be approved by the vote in the Plenary of the European Parliament in the week of 21/10/2019.
More information is available here.