EU institutions Archives - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Reversing Rule and Exception – Transformative New Integrated Policy for Rural Agri & Food presented in European Parliament

June 10, 2022 Ashley Parsons

A book filled with “extraordinary examples of ongoing transformations of our rural world” was launched in the European Parliament this week. Key political stakeholders – including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Isabel Estrada Carvalhais, and Dacian Ciolos – agreed on the need to start to build a process to explore and develop ideas contained therein- including a radical new Regulation. So what are these ideas? […]

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. […]

All Hot Air? An Organic Action Plan without Farm to Fork Targets

May 12, 2022 Ashley Parsons

The European Parliament voted this month to endorse the EU Action Plan for Organic Agriculture. The adopted action plan garnered 611 votes to 14, with five abstentions. What is missing however is any specific mention of the Farm to Fork target of shifting 25% of agriculture to organic. So, where’s the action in this action plan? Or is it all just hot air? Ashely Parsons has more. […]

A Leaked Pesticide Regulation and a Political Merry Go Round

March 30, 2022 Ashley Parsons

The AGRIFISH Council delayed tabling the legislation meant to reform plant protection products (SUR) on March 23 until ‘before summer,’ to the dismay of campaigners. ARC has a leaked version of the revised proposal. So what’s in it? And what’s next in the political wrangling around pesticides in the EU institutions – are EU member states now playing a game of pass the pesticides parcel? […]

EU Institutions – Productivity Now, Environment Maybe Later

March 25, 2022 Oliver Moore

With war in Ukraine, the EU institutions made a concerted effort to shore up its highly exposed agri-industrial food system this week. Emergency money and ecologically protected lands are to be used for food security – as expressed through animal feed and mineral fertilizer supply. Along the way, delays and derailings to greener transition have occurred in pesticides regulation, in environmental elements of CAP, and more. So is the EU Green Deal becoming pie in the sky? Oliver Moore and Ashley Parsons report. […]

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. […]

Coping with Covid19 – Tensions in Farming, Trade and the EU Institutions

March 25, 2020 Hans Wetzels

The COVID-19/Coronavirus outbreak is already disrupting international supply chains as more countries close their borders. Questions remain as to what this will mean for European food supplies and agricultural trade, as well as for how the institutions relate to member states. […]

Coping with Covid19 – Letter from a Brussels Lockdown

March 21, 2020 Hannes Lorenzen

In our part of the street, some 100 meters, live 21 nationalities – we counted that at our last summer street festival, sharing food from across the world. Now we share our songs at 8 pm from our balconies, giving applause to the doctors and nurses trying to save lives. We are all Italians at this moment. We know we are just at the beginning of a huge challenge. We have no idea what is still to come. […]