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Tue 5 November 2024| View online Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes |
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| | Hansen, a 'boots on the ground' Commissioner |
| Luxembourg’s Christophe Hansen is the new EU Commissioner for agriculture after the Parliament’s political coordinators backed his candidacy on Monday night (4 November). “I will work hard to live up to their trust,” said the 42-year-old former MEP.
The Left and the far-right Europe for Sovereign Nations (ESN) were the only groups to vote against him, while Patriots for Europe abstained, Parliament sources confirmed to Euractiv.
Hansen, who describes himself as a “boots on the ground Commissioner,” sailed through the hearing receiving positive reactions from most MEPs. The three-hour debate often turned to the devastating floods in Valencia, Spain, which have resulted in over 200 casualties but also in millionaire losses for the agricultural sector. “Climate is increasingly putting our farmers at risk,” Hansen remarked. While expressing strong support for the Green Deal, he suggested that some legislation could benefit from simplification. Read Sofia’s article for more on the hearing.
Reactions After the hearing, BirdLife Europe welcomed Hansen’s “acknowledgement that the CAP needs to be overhauled, calling it ‘unacceptable’ that billions of taxpayer euros flow to the wealthiest beneficiaries,” senior EU agriculture policy Marilda Dhaskali said in a note. On a less positive note, she added, he “hesitated to champion a shift toward a healthier, less-polluting, moderate meat-consumption across the EU”.
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) also regretted the “scant attention” given to diets during Hansen’s hearing. He “showed very poor understanding of the many factors that influence dietary choices and that are currently shaped by profit rather than sustainability or public health protection,” said policy manager Célia Nyssens-James.
The candidate was praised by farming organisations and think tanks. "He has struck the right note, clearly showing the ability to define a vision and a political path for European agriculture," Luc Vernet of Farm Europe told Euractiv.
“Positive comments” also came from Copa & Cogeca, which described the hearing as "very engaging" and highlighted Hansen's "key recognition of agriculture as a strategic sector for the EU".
“Emissions from agriculture and agricultural peatlands in the EU can be reduced by 60 percent, while delivering on food security and protecting biodiversity,” Christine Chemnitz, co-director of the German think tank Agora Agriculture told Euractiv, adding that “the Commission now has the chance to define a roadmap for an enabling policy environment which fosters efficient land use, develops the bioeconomy and incentivises sustainable consumption". |
| | | Šefčovič wants data-based discussion on Mercosur deal |
| In his hearing yesterday, the commissioner designate on trade Maroš Šefčovič defended the Commission’s commitment to full transparency on the EU-Mercosur negotiations, pointing out that the executive trade services will “debrief” the Parliament’s international trade committee next week on the latest technical discussions – ahead of the G20 summit in Brazil on 18 November, a date that many see as the most probable for the talks finalisation.
Šefčovič rebuffed accusations of a “lack of transparency” in negotiating the Mercosur trade deal. “Once we know the negotiations are in the final phase […] I will come to see you with […] with all the necessary data,” he continued, “and I will plead for having the discussion on data and figures,” he said.
Šefčovič pointed to the benefits of the bloc’s existing agri-food trade deals. “Europe is an absolute agrifood superpower – we are exporting more than €240 billion of agrifood products,” he said.
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| | At 18:30 today, would-be environment commissioner Jessika Roswall will take the hot seat to answer questions from MEPs, including members of the AGRI committee. AGRI MEPs are invited to the hearing, which means they can ask oral questions, but the final evaluation of the candidate is up to the responsible committee, ENVI for Roswall.
In the preliminary questions, the AGRI MEPs asked the Swedish candidate about the water resilience strategy, which Ursula von der Leyen has identified as one of the priority initiatives in this mandate. Roswall also wants to explore biodiversity certification and nature credits, which could provide new sources of income for farmers. |
| | | Council speeds up on the use of rural funds for natural disasters |
| According to EU sources, the Hungarian presidency will next week ask member states to back the Commission's proposal to use unspent rural development funds for 2014-22 to compensate farmers and food SMEs for losses and damage caused by extreme weather events.
The Commission presented the proposal to national delegations yesterday, clarifying that it will cover not only weather phenomena such as floods and droughts, but also other types of natural disasters, such as animal diseases and plant pests. At the AGRIFISH Council on 21-22 October, the Slovak delegation presented a note warning that 11 EU countries "face an imminent risk of automatic decommitment" of rural development funds, as funds committed in 2021 must be spent by 31 December 2024. |
| | | Czechia new deposit scheme for cans |
| The Czech Republic has notified the EU of a deposit system for selected single-use beverage packaging, mainly cans. Plastic drinks bottles and metal drinks containers will be subject to a deposit and return system, with exceptions such as for passengers in airports or international railways, with obligations on packaging producers, food producers and retailers, and the creation of a deposit system operator responsible for the control, counting, transport and treatment of packaging waste. The new rules include obligations for the producers of "advertising flyers" and for those who "put them into circulation", who will be responsible for the return and recovery of the waste from the leaflets. |
| Turkish sweet gets PGI logo |
| The Commission has granted ProtectedGeographical Indication (PGI) status in the EU to the traditional Turkish sweet Manisa Mesir Macunu. Produced in the province of Manisa since the16th century, the sweet is made from 41 different spices, herbs and fruits thatare mixed into a sugary paste. The result can be a liquid paste sold in glassjars or solid sticks of 11-12 cm or 3-4 cm wrapped in foil. Manisa Mesir Macunu has a soft texture and a very sticky consistency with a sweet, spicy and bitter taste. |
| | | CIWF urges MEPs to press Várhelyi for animal welfare reform |
| MEPs should "speak up" at Commissioner-designate Olivér Várhelyi's hearing (scheduled fortomorrow at 18:30) to ensure he quickly delivers an "overdue reform" of animal welfare legislation, Compassion in World Farming said in a press release. The NGO, which spearheaded the "End the Cage Age" petition, urged MEPs to press the candidate for the Health and Animal Welfare portfolio to clarify a timetable for the commitment - made in preliminary written answers to MEPs - to follow up on the petition, and bring forward proposals "by 2026 at the latest". |
| Animal medicine industry calls for One Health strategy |
| Animalhealth Europe, the animal health industry association, has called the EU to develop an "overarching One Health Strategy" that recognises animal health "as a global public good" and veterinarians as "essential healthcare professionals". For the immediate future, the lobby suggested setting up a cross-border One Health advisory group to coordinate and collaborate on the prevention, detection and control of zoonoses, and expanding vaccine banks. |
| | | NGOs want 'fisheries' removed from Kadis' portfolio |
| At a press conference ahead of the Commissioner-designate hearings yesterday, BirdLife, ClientEarth, Oceana, SeasAtRisk, SurfriderFoundation and WWF called on the Commission to reconsider the portfolio of Costas Kadis, the candidate for Fisheries and Oceans, by dropping "fisheries" and keeping only the "oceans" part.
As Kadis would be the first commissioner in 10 years to have a portfolio that separates fisheries from the environment, the NGOs are calling on President von der Leyen to appoint an "ocean commissioner" whose mission should be "to achieve healthy marine ecosystems and the resilience of all economic sectors", not just fisheries and aquaculture. They also want the future Commissioner to report to the Vice-President in charge of a clean, fair and competitive transition, Teresa Ribera, and not - as in von der Leyen's plan - to the Vice-President for cohesion and reform, Raffaele Fitto. |
| | | | Berlin - Özdemir on a mission to Ethiopia and Zambia Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir arrived in Ethiopia yesterday, accompanied by stakeholders from business, science and civil society, in order to create an "exchange of experience" and promote the "transfer of practical knowledge", as he announced in a press release before his departure. Today he will open the conference “A world without hunger” in Addis Ababa - co-organised by the African Union and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) - before leaving for Zambia on Wednesday and Thursday.
Warsaw - Siekierski hails tenfold increase in national food exports Opening the 17th Food Market and Trade Forum in Warsaw yesterday, Polish Minister of Agriculture Czesław Siekierski said that the volume of national food exports volume had increased tenfold since Poland joined the European Community 20 years ago. He stressed the need for "solidarity" between players in the production chain to ensure that margins are fairly distributed. He also called on producers to "consolidate" producer organisations and cooperatives and to promote direct sales to consumers. |
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| | | Today’s briefing was prepared by the Agrifood team; Angelo Di Mambro, Maria Simon Arboleas, Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro, and Hugo Struna. Share your feedback or information with us at [email protected]. |
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