05/03/26 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 5 March, the EU Council adopted a regulation on combatting unfair cross-border trading practices in the agricultural supply chain (see EUROPE 13807/22). The text establishes a comprehensive set of rules for cross-border cooperation against unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationship and introduces a mutual assistance mechanism, which would enable national enforcement authorities to request and exchange information or to collaborate on investigations related to unfair trading practices. This framework will facilitate the enforcement of decisions concerning fines or penalties imposed in another Member State, support the coordination of enforcement actions and allow Member States to notify decisions related to unfair trading practices. In addition, the new legislation introduces rules on the allocation of costs in cases of mutual assistance. The new rules will enter into force 18 months after their publication in the Official Journal of the EU. (LC)