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Bulgaria seeks the post of Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. Mariya Gabriel, the current Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, could become the new Commissioner for Agriculture. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has already discussed the possibility of acquiring this portfolio with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Gabriel was a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development in 2009-2014, and she was a member of the Working Group on Beekeeping and Bee Health in 2014-2017. Gabriel advocates reducing the use of neonicotinoids due to their negative effects on pollinators. Bulgaria is not the only country that has shown an interest in the post of Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development - Poland, Romania and Italy also target this post. The new Commission should be operational from November 2019.

Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Dan Jørgensen confirmed Denmark's earlier commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030 (compared to 1990). According to Jørgensen, greenhouse gases must now be reduced, particularly in agriculture and transport, and this will be a very complicated task in agriculture - Jørgensen said that achieving this objective must not jeopardize the competitiveness of the Danish agricultural sector. He has therefore identified the Danish target as very ambitious and difficult to achieve, but Denmark will do its best to achieve it - whether by carrying out a number of studies, developing new tools and technologies, or establishing cooperation with other countries. Jørgensen hopes that Denmark's commitment inspires other Member States to adopt similar targets. According to Denmark, the European Union should commit itself to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The environmental NGO BeeLife, which aims to protect bee and other pollinator populations in the European Union, has published a report last week collecting and commenting on the most common arguments of Member States and other stakeholders that have not yet adopted guidelines to strengthen the protection of bee populations from 2013. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) developed guidelines six years ago already, but their implementation has not yet taken place because Member States have not agreed to set criteria for the approval of active substances. According to BeeLife, the most common arguments of opponents of the adoption include the fear of blocking further approval of new insecticides and a significant reduction in the approval of fungicides and herbicides; and that the guides are too complicated and impractical. However, BeeLife described the arguments as false - a stricter risk assessment will not prevent the approval of other active substances but will allow them to be better understood; According to BeeLife, the EFSA guidelines are not complicated, but consistent in the context of the assessment of all aspects of the individual active substances, including their toxicity.
More information is available here.

The new Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture, Andrius Palionis, who has been in the minister's office since last week, said he would also continue the fight to achieve external convergence of direct payments under the CAP reform post 2020. Therefore, he will continue to cooperate on this issue with Latvia, Estonia and Poland. According to the new minister, Lithuania will also not ban the use of glyphosate any time soon; Palionis said that its use should be restricted only in case of cereals. Other key priorities should include improving prices in the food supply chain.
More information is available here.

The Directorates General of the European Commission has put forward a proposal to extend the competences of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which they believe could also address food fraud. In particular, it should focus on cases where food from third countries illegally enters the EU markets where it is subsequently falsely labelled as European Union production. According to EC Directorates General, these practices represent a loss of customs and tax revenues and a threat to the security of EU citizens. DG SANTE and OLAF have already started cooperation in this context, the first results should be known in early 2020. DG of Agriculture and Rural Development also proposes launching a public consultation to tackle unsustainable practices in the area of food production, within 100 days of the start of the new Commission (November 2019).
More information is available here.