Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
At the European Parliament, on the 31st of March, 2022, the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee adopted a report on new stricter rules for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the management of waste containing them.
| Votes | In favour | Against | abstention |
| MEPs | 66 | 9 | 10 |
Agriculture and Fisheries Council, answering the Commission communication on safeguarding food security.
On the 7th of April 2022, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) approved the Commission’s communication presented on March 23rd, 2022 about Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems within the context of the Russian attacks over the Ukrainian territories.
In its communication, the Commission stated that, for now, there is “no risk of widespread shortage for consumers” even if it may be complicated to “swiftly substitute specific imported products”. The European Food Security Crisis preparedness and response Mechanism (EFSCM) presented by the Commission, started to be operational on 9th of March 2022 and aimed at improving coordination among several state and non-states actors, within and outside the EU, to ensure security of the food supply.
This resilience over food supply is also maintained as a result of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) that ensure a price safety net and the possibility to take exceptional measures providing for table markets. Thus, ministers approved the framework under the CAP to mobilise set-aside areas to increase production.
Moreover, the Single Market must be respected, by avoiding trade distorting measures implemented by Member States in order to protect their own domestic food supplies over the Community’s one.
The AGRIFISH also discussed the ongoing revision of the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) regulation with the aim to reduce the Eu’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
Finally, the Commission’s sustainable carbon cycles communication, published on 15th December 2021, about ways to impulse farming practices helping to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, has been approved by the ministers.
Sources :
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/envi/home/highlights
