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One of the priorities of the French Presidency is carbon farming. According to French Minister of Agriculture Julien Denormandie, the forthcoming European framework for carbon farming should be based on the French voluntary carbon scheme of 2018. French carbon agriculture falls under a low-carbon labelling scheme that identifies low-carbon foods. The voluntary scheme allows companies and other organizations to track their carbon footprint, trade carbon credits and promote their carbon reduction initiatives.
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On 23/03/2022, the European Commission will present a new strategy called Affordable food and fair income from agriculture: Strengthening the resilience of the EU food system. The strategy is being prepared under the auspices of Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, who says the plan is for guidance only. The aim is to make the EU food system more resilient to price shocks, especially in the context of rising input costs, but also, for example, in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and uncertainty about rising energy and food prices.

The European Commission plans to present a new Communication addressing the rising production costs facing farmers in the European Union in the face of soaring energy prices due to a sharp rise in energy prices. Over the last year, EU fertilizer prices have risen by 142%, food prices by 4.3%, and up to 20% of farmers' costs are for fertilizers and energy alone. According to draft documents available to some European media, the European Commission warns against further deterioration if higher energy prices keep high fertilizer prices, leading to a drop in food production. This would increase the pressure on farmers' economic performance, which would have to increase production prices, which would in turn lead to further increases in food prices. The communication should be submitted on 02/03/2022.

On 23/02/2022, the European Commission published a proposal for a directive on corporate due diligence to promote sustainable and responsible business behaviour in global value chains. Businesses will need to identify the adverse effects of their activities on human rights (including child labour), the environment (pollution, biodiversity loss) and, where necessary, according to the Commission, prevent, eliminate or mitigate these effects. According to the Commission, the new rules will bring legal certainty and a level playing field for businesses, and greater transparency for consumers and investors. The new EU rules will contribute to ecological transformation and the protection of human rights in Europe and beyond.
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Austrian Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Köstinger and German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir initiated the creation of the so-called Justice Alliance during a meeting of the Agriculture Council on 21/02/2022, with the aim of supporting the introduction of mandatory country-of-origin labelling in the EU. The initiative was supported by 14 EU Member States, including EC, CY, EL, MT, IT, PT, FI, BE, BG, HU, RO and SI. France also unofficially supports the initiative. Members call on the European Commission to swiftly translate the legislative proposal on mandatory origin marking across the EU, which considers new consumer demands and creates the framework conditions for farmers to be able to strengthen their position in the supply chain, which should help address their low incomes. In addition to introducing mandatory country of origin labelling and strengthening the position of farmers in the supply chain, the Alliance calls for the strengthening of regional supply chains and further shortening of supply chains. The Alliance will also promote the full implementation and enforcement of the EU's Directive on Unfair Trading Practices. The European Commission should present legislative proposals according to the original plan at the end of 2022.
More information is available here and here.