21/02/2022 (Agence Europe) – On the initiative of Austria and Germany, a dozen countries (Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Spain, etc.) have asked the European Commission to present a proposal on the mandatory labelling of the origin of agricultural products (https://aeur.eu/f/e9 ). This request is contained in a document from Austria and Germany providing for income support measures for farmers (see EUROPE 12894/8). Consumers want to promote regional products”, said the Austrian Minister, Elisabeth Köstinger. Poland, Slovenia and Estonia also supported the requests in this document. Luxembourg has stated its preference for voluntary origin labelling. “We need to focus on organic and on research”, said Denmark, which instead supported voluntary labelling to certify animal welfare. The Commission will make a proposal on labelling of origin by the end of 2022. (LC)