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The European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (COMENVI) voted last week on the posts of chairman and four vice-chairmen of the committee. French MEP Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe) has been elected Chairman of the Committee, known for his strictly pro-environmental approach. Canfin is a member of La République en Marche of French President Emmanuel Macron. MEPs Bas Eickhout (NL, Greens, 1st Vice-Chair), Seb Dance (UK, S&D, 2nd Vice-Chair), Cristian Silviu Busoi (RO, EPP, 3rd Vice-Chair), and Anja Hazekamp (NL, GUE/NGL, 4th Vice-Chair) were elected. As for the number of full members, COMENVI is now one of the largest members of the European Parliament (76 full members and 76 substitutes), which is a symbol of how important it is for the European Parliament to tackle the climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, or the protection of consumer rights. By 2050, the EU, according to Canfin, should achieve carbon neutrality. Since 2016, Canfin has worked as Managing Director of the French branch of the WWF environmental organization.

Phil Hogan, an Irish politician who currently holds the post of Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, has been officially nominated by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar for the post of Commissioner for the coming period (the new composition of the European Commission will be launched in November 2019). However, Phil Hogan is unlikely to seek the mandate of the Commissioner for Agriculture, and his aim should be to fill the post of Commissioner for Trade, now held by Swedish Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. The future Trade Commissioner will not only be responsible for resolving the trade agreement with Mercosur, which Ireland plans to block due to the high quota of beef imports into the EU, but also for setting up trade relations with Great Britain after leaving the EU. One of the most affected countries in the context of Brexit is Ireland. The nomination of Phil Hogan as Commissioner will need to be confirmed by the new President of the European Commission, the European Parliament will vote on the candidacy of Ursula von der Leyen on 16/07/201.
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A total of 28 European environmental NGOs have sent a joint letter to all members of the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) regarding the CAP reform discussion. According to environmental organizations (including EEB, BirdLife, or Greenpeace), COMAGRI's opinion, adopted in April 2019, is completely non-compliant with environmental and social requirements and challenges and should therefore be revised. According to these organizations, the financing of the CAP needs to be changed to focus on promoting animal welfare and environmental and climate protection, and to stop promoting environmentally harmful practices.

Slovakia is introducing a new regulation of the food law, according to which at least 50% of products in stores must be of Slovak origin. With a third infringement, retailers could be fined up to EUR 5 million. EuroCommerce, representing large retail chains, including Tesco and Lidl, filed a complaint against the Slovak rules with the European Commission. It is stated in the complaint that the law discriminates against foreign products and thus distorts the European single market. Slovakia, on the other hand, defends the regulation by stating that large foreign chains have caused local market imbalances. The law should therefore help Slovak farmers and producers to promote local products, reduce the carbon footprint of Slovakia and create new jobs.
More information is available here.

Swedish government plans to introduce mandatory country of origin labelling for meat served in restaurants. The new rules are currently being prepared by the National Food Agency, and by December 2020 it should be notified by the European Commission. The aim is to provide consumers with more information and enable them to make informed decisions in accordance with the principles of sustainability. Finland is also considering introducing similar rules.
More information is available here.