Negotiations on EU geographical indications have hit an unexpected snag in the last trialogue while it was supposed to be the decisive one before the final one scheduled for 24 October in the presence of the President of the Council of Agriculture Ministers, Luis Planas, and Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski.

According to the lead negotiator of the European Parliament, Paolo de Castro, as well as the Committee chair of the Agriculture Committee, Norbert Lins, progress was hindered by the Spanish presidency’s unexpected rigidity, posing challenges in finding common ground with the European Parliament.

However, on key parameters of the initial Commission proposal, we consider that the European Parliament stroked the right balance to defend the interest of both producers and European consumers: 

• In the case of wine, a balanced position is put forth by the Parliament, preserving provisions in the single CMO regulation. The insistence of the Council to incorporating all provisions into the horizontal Geographical Indication regulation even exceeds the Commission’s initial proposal.
• The prerogatives of consortia that have been fighting for years to protect and guarantee the quality of protected designation of origin products, a symbol of the excellence of European agrifood, shall indeed be recognised.
• The unwillingness to consider that the use of GIs used as an ingredient calls for an authorisation by the Consortium to avoid fraud and abuses detrimental to the image of quality products is surprising.
• Finally, the will of the Parliament to foster and integrate sustainability criteria to be pursued could help producers to respond to consumers’ expectations.

Therefore, it would regrettable that reaching an agreement under the Spanish Presidency may prove more challenging than expected because of blockages on the home straight.

While the EU is engaged in comprehensive discussions regarding the most efficient utilization of NGTs technologies to foster sustainability in the agricultural sector, the complex issue of intellectual property rights within this context seems to remain untouched. The UK are facing similar regulatory issues, while recent studies have shown that CRISPR-edited rice can produce up to five times more yields than its non-modified counterpart.

In her State of the Union address, President von der Leyen paid tribute to EU agriculture and farmers,and called for a strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture. That same month, the EPP organised a conference on agriculture, while the Greens reiterated theiropposition to the NGT plan during a webinar on “GMO-free Europe” and TP Organics emphasised therole of organic farming in ensuring food security. European Commission President Von der Leyen explored the possibility of using EU funds to helpGreece tackle climate challenges. Discussions on visions for rural areas and soil health lawscontinued in September, with MEPs arguing in favour of an extended derogation from GAEC inresponse to the difficulties and requests of several Member States. While the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister stressed the importance of the solidarity corridors for theeconomy, agriculture and food security, and expressed his gratitude for the EU’s support, Ukraine haslodged complaints with the WTO against Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, for the import bans imposedby the aforementioned countries, even though the ban decided at EU level has come to an end. A new FAO report raises concerns about the world’s progress towards meeting development goals, highlighting the essential role of agriculture in maintaining water supplies. 

For the first time in her mandate – and on the occasion of her last State of the Union speech – the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, mentioned farmers 5 times and launched a significant message on agriculture. Without turning her back on the Green Deal, the Commission President underlined her conviction that “we must make it our duty, now and in the future, to secure our livelihoods within and in harmony with nature”.
“Today I would like to pay tribute to our farmers and thank them for ensuring our food supply day after day”, she stressed. “Guaranteeing healthy food: this duty of agriculture is the foundation of our agricultural policy here in Europe. We are also committed to guaranteeing the independence of our food supply”.

A strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture

For her, “these are the guarantees offered by our farmers. This cannot be taken for granted, because our farmers are subject to the growing impact on their work and their incomes of Russian aggression against Ukraine, climate change, with the droughts, fires and floods it is causing, but also new obligations”.
So “we have to take them into account. Many are already committed to more sustainable agriculture. We need to rise to these new challenges alongside farmers. That’s the only way we can guarantee our food security for the future too. We need more dialogue and less polarisation. That’s why we want to launch a strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in the EU”.

It should be noted that there was no mention of the Farm to Fork strategy, neither of the trade situation with Ukraine. Most of her speech focused on the competitiveness of the European economy, with some strong announcements, notably the launch of an anti-dumping procedure concerning electric vehicles from China.

The President also stressed the importance of ensuring the EU’s strategic autonomy and securing energy supplies, particularly through renewable energies. Mrs von der Leyen mentioned her intention to inaugurate the first container ship powered by Methanol produced from renewable solar energy.