Negotiations between EU institutions on updating the rules of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) began on Tuesday 14 October and will continue in November and December.
“I am approaching these negotiations calmly, in a constructive spirit, but with the firm intention of ensuring that the European Parliament’s mandate is respected” (see EUROPE 13726/6), commented the rapporteur, Céline Imart (EPP, French).
The main areas of disagreement remain unchanged. The issue of written contracts (their mandatory nature and possible exemptions) remains at the heart of the discussions.
The same applies to a number of provisions not included in the Commission’s initial proposal, such as the protection of names reserved for meat. Parliament wants to reserve the names ‘steak’, ‘cutlet’, ‘sausage’ or ‘hamburger’ exclusively for products containing meat.
Parliament also adopted an amendment aimed at extending place of production and origin labelling to all agricultural products (cereals, dairy products, processed fruit and vegetables, meat). It also came out in favour of purchasing agricultural and food products originating in the European Union as part of public procurement contracts, giving priority to those with geographical indications. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)