News

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a report on phosphate stating that the residues of toxic cadmium contained therein may exceed values that are safe for human health in food. According to the International Cadmium Association, people are mostly exposed to cadmium by pesticide-treated food. Based on this report, the European Commission will discuss possibilities how to reduce cadmium in food.
EFSA report is available here.

Agriculture Ministers of PL, IE, FR and BE expressed their concern about the current state of negotiations with the Mercosur countries in a letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, on 17/06/2019. Agriculture Ministers disagree with further increase in agricultural product quotas, and demand from Mercosur compliance with food safety standards and animal welfare. The Polish Minister of Agriculture pointed out that the governments of the EU Member States had not yet received the full text of the agreement or the list of proposed duties. Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan stressed that Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Trade, is trying to convince Mercosur representatives to reduce their demands, especially for beef and poultry, sugar and ethanol.
More information is available here.

EU leaders early Friday failed to agree on nominees for the European Commission presidency and other top posts, and said they will reconvene on June 30 to try again. More information is available here.

On 18/06/2019, the EU Ministers of Agriculture will meet at the Council of Ministers in Luxembourg, the last one under the Romanian Presidency. The main point of the debate will be the CAP reform package of 2020 - a progress report. Within this topic, the ministers will also discuss the A.O.B. point, which concerns the Spanish delegation's information on the new CAP green architecture. Another important issue of the ministerial debate will be the discussion of the partial general approach to the proposal for a regulation on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the information about the current state of the Common Fisheries Policy and the consultation on fishing opportunities for 2020.

At the end of its Presidency, Romania will present on 18/06/2019 a progress report summarizing the activities undertaken in the area of negotiations on CAP reform over the past six months, during the Council of Ministers. Romania has sought to reach a partial general agreement on the CAP, but given the ongoing negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework post 2020, the adoption of a general agreement in the Council has been postponed. In its Progress Report, Romania states that it has provisionally concluded an agreement on proposals for the Common Market Organisation and for Horizontal Issues, a number of issues, in particular for CAP Strategic Plans, remain open through - be it setting direct payments including eco-schemes, or setting rural development programs. The negotiations on the CAP will be managed by Finland from July 2019 onwards, and during the Finnish Presidency, the Council will address not only the reform of the CAP and the Multiannual Financial Framework, but also the issue of the UK leaving the EU. In this context, according to some representatives of the European institutions, the adoption of the new CAP reform is likely to be delayed by at least a year.

Romanian Presidency Progress Report is available here.