Brussels Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Agricultural and Rural Convention

SURe to find excuses – MEPs, Ministers & their PPPs (Persistent Pesticide Proposals)

November 29, 2022 Ashley Parsons

After last week’s clear challenge to the SUR pesticide reform, this week the guns are blazing between MEPs and Commissioners pushing the reform. And in a familiar pattern in EU law-making, many Ministers are backing the business-as-usual block. Will we be reporting on the SUR until there are no more puns to be made? It seems that’s just what many politicians, with thier persistent pesticide proposals, want to enSURe. Ashley Parsons and Oliver Moore report. […]

SUR-e To Have Setbacks – Pesticide Reform Stuck

November 22, 2022 Ashley Parsons

The SUR pesticide regulation reform is facing pushback. Political moves by member states, such as requesting a new impact analysis of the Regulation, will set the reform back by months. Ashley Parsons reports. […]

EU Fertilizer Industry Wins Big in Commission Communication

November 15, 2022 Oliver Moore

Despite record profits, the fertilizer industry has had its needs prioritised in the European Commission’s Fertilizer Communication, announced last week. Measures to prevent import-dumping of fertilizer were not lifted, in a move to protect the fertilizer industry within the EU’s borders. Oliver Moore and Ashley Parsons have more. […]

Pesticide Regulation too Important to Delay – Civil Society Orgs

November 10, 2022 ARC

ARC2020, along with 28 other organisations, wrote and co-signed a letter on the unacceptable delays in introducing the EU’s pesticide regulation, called SUR (Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products). Below is the full text of the letter, which was sent to Ministers for Agriculture, Environment and Health, the President of the European Parliament, AGRI and ENVI coordinators, and members of the AGRI and ENVI Committees. […]

CAP’s Value, Public Canteens and Cutting Pesticide Use – EU Roundup

October 20, 2022 Ashley Parsons

CAP budget cuts? No, that’s just inflation. An EU Roundup on CAP financing, on pesticide’s – exposure to them, citizen action, facts and figures from a new Pesticide Atlas – and a vision and an action for the canteens of tomorrow. With Ashley Parsons
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Brussels July 22 Bulletin – there are always exceptions

July 19, 2022 Ashley Parsons

Before the summer break, Brussels and beyond is still bustling. This round-up includes an open letter addressing the drop in numbers of EU farmers, the July 18th AGRIFISH council, and your friendly reporter’s favorite subject: pesticide regulation. By Ashley Parsons […]

EU Organic Action Plan – Decoding Texts of Supposed Support

May 20, 2022 Oliver Moore

The European Parliament recently proclaimed its support for organic farming and food, by an overwhelming majority. However, delving into the details a little, it turns out that our MEPs could be accused of offering pie in the sky – salvation via organic farming’s great sustainability performance some time in the future, provided no real significant changes are made in the here and now. Here we critically assess the language used line by line, to help decode the more hidden motivations behind the eurospeak. […]

European Food Forum: Industry’s Brand New ‘Lobby Platform’ in the European Parliament

April 27, 2020 ARC

If you can’t beat them, join them. Perhaps this was the thinking behind consultants and lobbyists working for the agrochemical and food industry, who have joined the newly created European Food Forum, a so-called MEP-industry forum. In this article written by Hans van Scharen, Nina Holland and Martin Pigeon of Corporate Europe Observatory, the role of the European Food Forum is examined in detail. […]

Massive Pillar 2 Cuts Proposed by EU Council President

February 14, 2020 ARC

Cuts of E7.5 Billion to rural development in Pillar 2, but a small increase in Pillar 1 Direct payments, all as part of a reduced overall CAP budget have been proposed by President of the European Council Charles Michel. How will EU Leaders react at next week’s summit? […]

Ag Commissioner Wojciechowski – Hope Springs Eternal?

January 13, 2020 ARC

In this opinion piece from Justyna Zwolińska, who hails from Janusz Wojciechowski’s home country of Poland, we hear some reasons for optimism about the recently appointed Commissioner: both his previous track record and his initial musings give cause for hope, Zwolińska contends. […]

Brussels | Commission’s CAP Files to Continue

September 11, 2019 Oliver Moore

Work will continue in the new parliament on the CAP files developed by the Commission and progressed under the previous parliament. With a new parliament now in place, there was the potential for all of the previous work to be rejected, and allowed lapse under what’s called an unfinished business rule. While this will not be the case, what will happen is still uncertain. Here we unpack the options. […]

Brussels | Farmers, Environmentalists tackle EU-Mercosur Deal

July 12, 2019 Brendan Ó Conchúir (Brendan Conchuir)

Several organisation representing farmers and environmentalists came together in Brussels to protest against the Mercosur trade deal yesterday. Responding to a call from the Belgian farmers group FUGEA, farmers and activists gathered outside the European Commission to protest against the threat posed by Mercosur to farmer incomes, the environment, and the rights of indigenous peoples in South America. […]

Brussels | Cooking Up A Local Food Strategy

April 3, 2019 ARC

With the recent election of a mayor keen to strengthen local democracy and serve up healthy, local food for all, Ixelles, in Brussels, is laying the groundwork for an exciting local food strategy. ARC2020’s Hannes Lorenzen is involved. […]

CAP | Will Environment Committee Flex its New Found Muscles?

November 15, 2018 Oliver Moore

Global trade (WTO) rules on competitiveness and a sequence of EU treaties mean that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is supposed to be more environmentally sustainable than it was. Now, with increased powers, the European Parliament’s environment committee has an opportunity to show some muscle. But will it flex those pecs? […]

EU | Fertilizers, Permanent Grasslands and EFAs – Brussels Briefing

January 8, 2018 ARC

From 1st January, a series of changes in the Common Agriculture Policy have been in effect. Agreed on 12th December, the so-called Omnibus was entered into the official EU record on 29th December. These changes are variously described as simplifications or improvements. But are they? […]