Negotiations between EU institutions on the proposal for a Directive to avoid unfair trading practices (UTPs) in the food supply chain will resume on Thursday 6 December in Brussels (see EUROPE 12133).
The parties will try to reach an agreement at this fourth trilogue on the fight against UTPs, in which Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan will participate. A final trilogue is planned, if necessary, on 12 December.
The rapporteur, Paolo De Castro (S&D, Italy), took stock of the agreements already reached in the trilogue on: - the extension of the scope to all agricultural products (cotton, petcare products, etc.); - the extension of the text to all purchasers, including those outside the EU; - the prohibition on the use by the purchaser of sensitive information; - the mandatory written contract at the supplier's request; - the prohibition on the taxation by central purchasing bodies of costs for services not requested by the supplier.
European Parliament/Council compromises remain to be made on the mediation bodies requested by Parliament and on strengthening cooperation between the competent national authorities. “There are still a lot of points under discussion, such as the possibility of extending the directive to all suppliers” De Castro said, hoping for a breakthrough on Thursday. “There is still a lot of work to be done", according to Mairead McGuinness (EPP, Ireland), who is not “sure” that an agreement will be reached by Thursday. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)