From:
SANTE)
Sent:
lundi 6 juillet 2020 21:15
To:
BUCHER Anne (SANTE); ROSSIDES Giorgos (CAB-
KYRIAKIDES)
Cc:
(SANTE);
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(SANTE); CHAZE
Nathalie (SANTE);
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(SANTE); JUELICHER Sabine (SANTE);
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Nathalie (SANTE);
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COLOMBO Paola (SANTE); VAN GOETHEM Bernard
(SANTE);
(SANTE);
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(SANTE); REIG RODRIGO
Roberto (CAB-KYRIAKIDES);
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KYRIAKIDES);
(SANTE);
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(SANTE)
Subject:
BTO: Head of Cabinet, Giorgos Rossides,
teleconference with Ambassador Raul Fuentes,
Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain, 06 July
2020
BTO: Head of Cabinet, Giorgos Rossides, teleconference with Ambassador Raul Fuentes,
Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain, 06 July 2020
Other people attending: (.
- ES PerRep), R.Reig,
,
, (Cab
Kyriakides)
(SANTE)
Report:
HoC introduced the round of meetings with DPR to introduce the F2F Strategy. This is a
transformational moment for Europe to change the way we produce, sell and consume food
which will guide the activity of the Commission in the area of the food chain for the following
years. The Strategy comes with a list of actions and a series of important targets. The
Commission is aware that the transition is proposing will come at a cost; we are keen on making
sure our farmers are supported and rewarded for their participation to this transformation. An
important aspect of the Strategy is the international dimension, to make sure our farmers are
not in a disadvantageous position when it comes to global competition. In this respect , the
international dimension is crucial to ensure a level playing field between our farmers and the
rest of the world. There are clear references to this aspect in both the F2F.
He then asked how the strategy was received in Spain.
ES DPR congratulated the Commission for the Strategy and its overall vision. He underlined the
following:
•
ES is on board with the ambition of the Strategy but we need to do things properly by
defining a precise timeline to address the targets looking at the available resources
and allowing the necessary flexibility. This was also the message given by Minister
Planas during the June Agri-Fish video conference;
• The actions foreseen by the Strategy need to be supported by a
serious impact
assessment especially on the economic dimension;
• We need to apply the
principle of just transition, providing the necessary time and
resources for doing the necessary changes and investments
• A crucial point is the
competitiveness of our farmers, the Commission is certainly aware
of this and ES would like to understand better how this will be achieved;
•
Meat production has been an element of serious debate in the last days before the
adoption of the strategy, ES would like to know how the Commission sees this aspect in
the future.
In his reply,
the HoC stressed that
- Any change in the legislation in the area of food will have to be accompanied by a
thorough impact assessment,.
- On ensuring a just transition: it is clear to everybody that the transformation can be
achieved only if appropriate resources are deployed. Both the CAP and the Recovery
fund are the instruments. For us the CAP with its conditionality will be the primary tool
to incentivise farmers towards this change.
- On imports and competitiveness, this is a crucial point. It is not going to be smooth. It
will be important to use all our multilateral and bilateral contacts. Obviously change will
not happen overnight and it will require efforts at bilateral and multilateral fora. There
is a clear political will in the Commission to advance on this. There is also an emerging
consensus on this international point among the various MS delegations we are
discussing the F2F strategy with. If MS are on the same line as the Commission we can
make this change, starting with some areas (for instance on pesticides).
- On meat consumption: there are two dimensions, the economic dimension and the
need to move gradually towards healthier diets also in line with other portfolio priorities
(such as the cancer plan). Without telling people what they should eat, we need to
nudge people to move towards diets containing more vegetables, fish and grains.
The DPR asked for the Commission
plan and timeline under the German Presidency.
The HoC replied that following the discussion with the German Presidency, it emerges that the
intend to adopt Council conclusions on the F2F in October, following the discussion foreseen in
July. Council conlusisons will be also adopted on labelling (in November) and AW labelling (in
December). In the meantime we have already launched the prep work for the SUD which will
come at the beginning of 2022. We are also putting the wheels in motion for some of the other
actions, expected in 2022. Next year the Commission will present a study on seeds and this
might lead rapidly to a new proposal.
Concerning the exchange of letter between Commissioner and Minister, ES has received a
request to make it public and the Minister would like to publish the answer in the Spanish
Ministry website as a first step. Commission could do the same
HoC indicated there is no problem to make the letter public and that it si probably worth
publishing the two letters together. This leads to the issue of implementation which is
particularly important for the Commission. This is something the Commissioner will pursue in
the course of her mandate. In the case of Spain the main issues are on animal welfare (tail
docking, transport, slaughterhouse) and a weak implementation of various aspects of the SUD.
DG SANTE – Strategy and Coordination Unit
Institutional Relations
Office B232 –
Telephone