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The European Commission has assessed food safety in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova following their applications for membership of the European Union. The report finds that Ukraine's public health protection law is partly in line with EU standards. However, Ukraine needs to strengthen the administrative capacity of food safety institutions as well as the food and feed control system. The food safety system in Moldova and Georgia was found to be partly ready for EU action. Both countries require improvements in monitoring and controls of food and feed safety.
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The European Court of Justice ruled on 07/02/2023 that organisms produced by in vitro random mutagenesis will not be covered by the EU's strict rules on the placing on the market of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Random mutagenesis involves increasing the frequency of spontaneous genetic mutations in living organisms by in vitro (outside the organism) or in vivo (inside the organism) methods. According to the Court, the in vitro random mutagenesis method has a long history of safety and has been used in several conventional applications. Copa-Cogeca, the largest agricultural organisation, welcomed the Court's decision; Copa-Cogeca believes that the method contributes to strengthening sustainability. The French agricultural union Confédération paysanne, on the other hand, criticises the decision, saying it allows a number of unidentified GMOs to enter the European market.
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On 01/02/2023, the Commission launched a consultation on the proposal for a temporary crisis and transitional state support framework, which is part of the Green Deal Industrial Plan. In connection with the acceleration and facilitation of Europe's ecological transformation, the temporary crisis framework is changed to a temporary crisis and transitional framework. The aim is to encourage investment in the faster introduction of energy from renewable sources and to support the decarbonisation of industry and the production of equipment necessary for the transition to zero net emissions. Available here.

On 02/02/2023, the European Commission adopted a Regulation lowering the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for two pesticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam from the group of neonicotinoids authorised in foodstuffs. The Regulation will apply to food produced in the EU and, from 2026, to food products imported into the EU. Evaluations by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have shown that these two substances pose a high risk to bees and are contributing to the global decline of pollinators. For this reason, their outdoor use was already banned in the EU in 2018. The new rules will reduce the MRLs for these substances in food and feed to the lowest level measurable with the latest technology.
More information is available here and here.

At the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture on 30/01/2023, Slovenia presented a document on the labelling of honey mixtures and a call for revision of the EU honey directive. Slovenia calls for the protection of European honey, which in many cases is overshadowed on the market by cheaper honey mixtures imported from third countries. The revision of the honey directive should bring more transparency for consumers about the origin of honey and increase the profitability of the sector. The Slovenian document was supported by the states AT, BE, BG, HR, CY, EE, FR, EL, HU, IE, IT, LV, LT, MT, PL, PT, RO, SK and ES. Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Janusz Wojciechowski said that the European Commission plans to present a draft legislative amendment on honey labelling soon.