In Brussels on Monday 13 December, EU agriculture ministers will hold a policy debate on unfair trade practices in the food supply chain. They will also take stock of the presentation of the national strategic plans for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
This will be the last Agriculture Council under the Slovenian Presidency. France will hold the six-monthly rotating Presidency of the EU Council from 1 January 2022.
The Slovenian Presidency will invite the EU Agriculture Ministers to share their views on the experience of the application of the Unfair Trade Practices Directive, while asking them whether additional legal measures should be taken to improve the position of farmers and weaker suppliers in the food supply chain.
The European Commission’s recent report shows that only 16 Member States have fully transposed the Directive into national law, although they were required to do so by 1 May 2021.
Contingency plan against food shortages. The EU Council will adopt conclusions on a contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security in times of crisis. The draft conclusions are ready (https://bit.ly/31KBKfd ).
Numerous ‘any other business’. The Czech Republic will point out that the national strategy plan on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that it will send to the Commission on 1 January 2022 will “not be the complete final version, as it is not possible to meet this deadline” of 31 December 2021 (https://bit.ly/3DHvnX8 ).
In addition, the Commission will present the recent proposal on the placing on the EU market and export of products associated with deforestation and forest degradation.
Denmark will suggest a common approach to reduce the number of brevis fractures in laying hens.
Several delegations (https://bit.ly/3yaLqeR ) will again ask the Commission to adopt market measures to help the pig meat sector in the EU (see EUROPE 12832/7).
The Spanish delegation will discuss the rising costs of fertilisers and raw materials for animal feed and the impact on the agricultural sector (https://bit.ly/3lThleF ).
Finally, the Agriculture Ministers of the Visegrád Group (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia) and others will present a joint statement on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the BIOEAST (bioeconomy) initiative. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)