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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13857
Contents Publication in full By article 11 / 21
EXTERNAL ACTION / Trade

Generalised Scheme of Preferences – threshold for activating safeguard clause on rice contested before European Parliament plenary vote

With the European Parliament due to vote on a revision of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) on Tuesday 28 April, a number of players are calling for the threshold for triggering the safeguard mechanism for the rice sector to be lowered.

In December 2025, the co-legislators agreed on an automatic mechanism based on tariff quotas, solely for rice from Cambodia and Myanmar (see EUROPE B13714A15). This would be activated in the event of an increase of more than 45% in imports...

Contents

SECTORAL POLICIES
AGRICULTURE: European ministers divided over terms and conditions for agricultural aid post-2027
AGRICULTURE: fertiliser – European Commission examines immediate support measures for farmers, announces Christophe Hansen
AGRICULTURE: a dozen European ministers say rules for keeping pesticide registers are too complex
AGRICULTURE/TRADE: in agreement with Mercosur, EU retains exclusive authority over management of tariff quotas, assures Christophe Hansen
AGRICULTURE: Luis Planas hopes for swift agreement on European candidacy for post of FAO Director-General
TRANSPORT: meeting informally in Cyprus, EU countries will focus on rail and sea transport
DIGITAL: European Commission consults on measures to stimulate competition in AI services on devices
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
FINANCES: ‘MISP’ package – Nicosia seeks political guidance from EU Council to make progress on ESMA’s scope of action
ECB: Frankfurt institution concludes a series of agreements to standardise digital euro payments
INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET: European Court of Auditors not convinced that proposed 2028-2034 MFF will guarantee improvement in EU spending
EXTERNAL ACTION
TRADE: Generalised Scheme of Preferences – threshold for activating safeguard clause on rice contested before European Parliament plenary vote
MALI: EU condemns attacks by ‘JNIM’ with ‘FLA’ separatist group
HUMANITARIAN AID: 266 million people affected by acute food insecurity in 2025 - Hadja Lahbib relays “a call to act”
Russian invasion of Ukraine
UKRAINE: EU calls on Russia to immediately cease all attacks on Ukrainian nuclear facilities
NEWS BRIEFS
MYANMAR: sanctions regime against Burma extended for a year due to persistent human rights violations
COMPETITIVENESS: Industrial Accelerator Act - China threatens EU with countermeasures
ENVIRONMENT: European Commission soon to present measures on ‘Deforestation-Free Products’ Regulation
UNITED STATES: attack in Washington - EU and NATO leaders denounce political violence
HUNGARY: Péter Magyar to meet Ursula von der Leyen on 29 April in Brussels
IRAN: Roberta Metsola calls for release of Narjes Mohammadi and Nasrin Sotoudeh
Op-Ed
Op-ed: Another world of work is possible - by Li Andersson, Per Clausen and Catarina Martins