News

France launched a consultation on 09/09/2019 on a proposal to set the parameters of the so-called buffer zone (zone in which pesticides may not be used) around residential areas. In line with the recommendations of the French Agency for Food, Environment, Health and Safety (Anses), the width of the 5-10 m zone should depend on the crops grown in the area. Low crops (eg vegetables) could be included in the 5 m buffer zone, higher crops (e.g. cereals) in the 10 m zone. According to the NGO France Nature Environment, the proposed distances are not sufficient and should therefore be extended. The French Government should decide on the final width of the buffer zones in October or November 2019.
More information is available here.

The European Commission published a report on trade in agricultural and food commodities for 2018 on 05/09/2019. According to the report, imports of agri-food products to the EU amounted to EUR 116.8 billion, thus placing the EU in second place behind the US with imports of agri-food - food commodities with a total value of EUR 117.7 billion. The EU's agri-food commodity exports in 2018 amounted to almost EUR 138 billion, making the EU the world's largest exporter in the sector. Compared to 2017, total EU exports decreased by 0.2%, imports fell by 1%. Exports of agri-food goods to the USA, China, Switzerland, Japan and Russia accounted for up to 40% of European exports in 2018.
More information is available here.

On 10/09/2019, the Commission issued Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1392 of September 9th 2019 amending the Annex to Implementing Decision 2014/709/EU concerning animal health control measures for African swine fever in certain Member States.
The Implementing Decision is available here.

Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, FR), Chair of the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, urged the Chairman of the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development Norbert Lins (EPP, DE) to reach balanced compromises in the opinions of both Committees on the Common Agricultural Policy post 2020. The committees are now debating how to deal with the opinions on the CAP Strategic Plans that they approved in the first half of this year. Environment Committee (COMENVI) haven’t reopened the debate about its opinion yet, the Committee on Agriculture (COMAGRI) adopted on 04/09/2019 the draft of the agricultural coordinators factions to continue negotiations on the CAP on the basis of already adopted opinion in April 2019.

Thus, according to COMAGRI President Norbert Lins, work on the opinion will not have to be resumed from the beginning, but some parts of the opinion are likely to be reopened in order to allow new MEPs to take part in shaping such a fundamental reform. A new rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs will also be selected, probably in the second half of September. Pascal Canfin said in his letter that COMAGRI's opinion did not take sufficient account of COMENVI's comments and therefore calls on COMAGRI to complete certain positions and reach a more balanced compromise. According to COMENVI, in particular cross-compliance requirements should be strengthened, support for biofuels and pesticides should be phased out, and eco-schemes should be further developed. According to unofficial information, Articles 15 (capping of direct payments), 28 (eco-schemes) and 86 (allocations for the Pillar I and II measures, including coupled support) could be reopened. The debate could also be relaunched on the requirements for achieving external convergence of direct payments.

The agricultural coordinators' proposal adopted by COMAGRI on 04/09/2019 will now be forwarded to the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament, the chairmen of the various EP Committees. The Conference of Presidents should decide on 19/09/2019 whether to pass the COMAGRI opinion directly to the EP plenary or to continue with modifying the opinion within COMAGRI. If the Conference of Presidents decided to refer an opinion directly to the vote in plenary, a request from one or more political factions or at least 38 MEPs would suffice to block the adoption of the opinion and return it to the Committee for revision.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will present on 10/09/2019 a proposal to fill individual posts within the European Commission with the newly nominated Commissioners-designate (here). Last week, Leyen received nominations from all Member States, including Italy, where Italian MEP Paolo de Castro (S&D) also unsuccessfully sought nominations. The only country that has refused to nominate a candidate is the United Kingdom - the UK Prime Minister, in communication with the President of the Commission, has the assurance that the UK will leave the EU on 31/10/2019. As early as early September, Ursula von der Leyen stated that she would support Poland's interest in gaining the post of Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, so that Phil Hogan (IE) could be replaced by Janusz Wojciechowski. However, Wojciechowski is now being investigated by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), according to German media, for irregularities in reimbursement of travel expenses from 2004-2014, when Wojciechowski served as Polish MEP. Wojciechowski said he had already reimbursed EUR 11,250 on his own initiative for under-documented travel costs in 2009-2011. However, according to the German media, OLAF examines the expenditure for the entire 2004-2014 period, with the transactions examined in five-digit figures. The current Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, continues to pursue the post of Commissioner for Trade, according to some representatives of the European institutions, his chances are relatively high, around 80%. The new Commissioners should take up their mandates on 01/11/2019.