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According to current information, the European Commission is ready to start seminars and consultations on the shape of the future CAP after 2027 through expert sessions of Citizen Dialogues on the CAP from the end of August / beginning of September 2029. The public discussion on the future CAP 2027+ could then be launched during the EU Agriculture Outlook conference, which takes place every year in the first half of December; an official public consultation should be launched in the first quarter of 2024, from January to March. Elections to the European Parliament will take place in May 2024, at the end of 2024 there will be a change of commissioners. The submission of the draft of the new multi-annual financial framework (EU budget) is therefore not planned until June 2025, followed by the submission of the legislative proposal for the new CAP after 2027+ in July 2025.

The FitForFuture Platform (F4F), an advisory body to the European Commission composed of representatives of Member States, other EU institutions and stakeholders, called on the Commission in a set of proposals published in December 2022 to consider appropriate measures to ensure harmonized implementation and enforcement of rules for the use of the term probiotic in the EU. Sales of probiotics have grown from €8.6 billion in 2018 to €9.4 billion in 2021, which is why the current regulatory framework for the use of the term needs to be reviewed, according to F4F. The current 15-year-old regulations hinder the development of the sector and limit consumer information. As of 2018, some Member States, including IT, CZ, ES and FR, have already adopted their own national guidelines with certain requirements for the qualification of specific probiotic strains.
More information is available here.

On 20/02/2023, the European Commission presented new measures to harmonize vaccination against bird flu to reduce the incidence of this disease in Europe. The measures should allow the safe movement of animals and products from facilities and areas where vaccination has already taken place. The Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in EU Countries (AVEC) welcomed the Commission's move and at the same time pointed out that vaccination is not a permanent solution to the occurrence of the disease. The association therefore calls for the adoption of additional measures, such as rigorous surveillance of the effectiveness of vaccines.
More information is available here.

Negotiations to extend the agreement with Russia on the export of grain from Ukraine will begin in March 2023. This is the Black Sea Grain Initiative supported by the UN World Food Program, which allowed Ukraine to export grain from ports blocked by Russia. The deal was extended in November 2022 by 120 days, but Russia is unhappy with some aspects of the deal and has asked for the lifting of sanctions affecting its agricultural exports. Russia is under pressure not only to extend the agreement on the safe transport corridor, but also to improve its functioning.
More information is available here.

This year, the European Commission and Germany called for renewed trade talks with the aim of concluding a trade deal with the Mercosur bloc. The draft agreement from 2019 was mainly blocked by France, which promotes respect for standards in the areas of environmental protection and human rights. French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau is waiting to see if Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva's return to power in Brazil will allow progress on climate and deforestation issues. An agreement between the EU and Mercosur would significantly increase trade in agricultural commodities, beef, soy and ethanol, commodities that are directly linked to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and human rights violations. President Lula da Silva himself has expressed concern that the agreement does not respect Brazil's development needs and will condemn Brazil to a perpetual role as an exporter of commodities and raw materials, with far-reaching effects on future generations. According to Lula da Silva, it is necessary to fundamentally change business relations so that the environment, climate and human rights come into focus.
More information is available here and here.