Initiatives related to agriculture, food and, in particular, animal protection and welfare account for an important share of European Citizens’ Initiatives (ECIs). Seven of the 10 initiatives the Commission has had to respond to so far under the EU’s participatory mechanism fall into these categories.
To be considered by the EU executive, an ECI needs one million signatures from at least seven member states. Some of the initiatives, such as ‘End the Cage Age’ to ban cages in animal farming and ‘Fur Free Europe’, are among the most successful campaigns ever, with 1.4 million and 1.5 million signatures, respectively.
Several organisations across the continent are currently collecting signatures to promote food origin labelling, incentives for plant-based proteins and farmed meat, or the protection of European agriculture.
Empirically speaking, it could thus be concluded that EU citizens care about food and animals (and water, as Right2Water is the most popular mobilisation with 1.6 million signatures) and believe that the EU can deliver.
This citizen attitude is matched by the ability of NGOs and stakeholder organisations in the sector to mobilise across national borders in campaigns that need a simple and catchy message to be successful.
Of course, the process is not all cook and curry (or puppies and rainbows, if you prefer).
Once the Commission accepts the petition, putting it into practice is another story – something NGOs have highlighted.
“We urge the European Commission to uphold its democratic values – by acting on the ‘End the Cage Age’ ECI […] and to come forward with a legislative proposal to ensure better protection of farm animals in the EU,” Eurogroup for animals CEO Reineke Hameleers told Euractiv.
ECIs “were created to give people a direct voice in shaping EU policies, yet the Commission’s inaction on crucial initiatives […] undermines that democratic promise,” Slow Food secretary general Marta Messa told Euractiv, referring not only to ‘End the Cage Age’ but also to other ECI ‘Save Bees and Farmers’.
With regard to the ‘End the Cage Age’ initiative, the Commission has so far failed to propose a comprehensive overhaul of animal welfare legislation.
In the final report of the Strategic Dialogue on Agriculture, stakeholders recommended to act by 2026.
Regarding the 2022 ‘Save Bees and Farmers’ initiative, the Commission said in 2023 that instead of new legislation, it had sought to finalise the Nature Protection Act and a new regulation on pesticides. The EU executive withdrew the latter after the European Parliament had failed to reach a compromise on it.
However, the European Parliament’s failure to compromise on pesticides exemplifies how complex democratic processes can take unexpected paths for those who initiate them.
“The ECI is not a binding instrument, and it is not a referendum. It is an agenda-setting instrument,” a Commission spokesperson clarified to Euractiv in an email.
However, the gap between the expectations conveyed by simple messages needed for campaigning and the reality of the complex EU decision-making process could lead to frustration, which in turn could act as a barrier to the mechanism in the long term.
EUDR guidelines by early October. The Joint Task Force (JTF) on the EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), set up by the European Commission and delegations from Indonesia and Malaysia, met on Thursday (12 September). NGOs that attended the meeting told Euractiv that the EU executive ruled out the delays requested by the two countries but promised to release the long-awaited EUDR guidelines in early October.
A day earlier, Brazil urged the Commission to hold off on implementing the deforestation rules. In a letter sent to the EU executive on Wednesday (11 September) and seen by Reuters, Brazil’s agriculture and foreign ministers warned of the potential and urged Brussels to “urgently reassess” its approach to EUDR.
Euractiv’s partner EFEAgro reported that Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro said on the sidelines of the G20 agriculture ministers’ meeting in Brazil on Thursday that if the Commission did not respond to the request by 1 October, Brasília would consider “other mechanisms” to prevent “unilateral” implementation.
‘Nature credits’ on the horizon. Today (13 September), von der Leyen proposed the creation of “a system of rewards and incentives” coupled with “nature credits”, inspired by the EU’s carbon trading scheme, from which farmers could greatly benefit.
Commission gives green light to advance CAP payments. The Commission adopted a regulation on Wednesday (11 September) allowing member states to pay up to 85% of rural development support for 2024 in advance, starting on 16 October.
Changing standards on trade and pesticides. MEPs in the ENVI committee on Thursday (12 September) rejected two proposals to change the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of a group of pesticides in imported food and feed. The vote confirms a trend in the Parliament that began at the end of last year.
EU countries struggle to reach a majority to lower wolf protection status. Member state representatives in a Council working group on Wednesday (11 September) failed to secure a majority for the Commission’s proposal to downgrade the protection status of wolves under the Bern Convention. Brussels has just two weeks to propose changes before the deadline set by the Bern Convention, which meets in early December, expires.
European wine sector seeks boost from stakeholder forum. The High-level Group on Wine met for the first time on Wednesday (11 September) to address the crisis facing the sector, including shifts in consumer tastes, full cellars and climate change.
EU court says Hungary broke competition rules by fixing food prices. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Thursday (12 September) that a decree approved by Budapest in 2022, which set regulated prices for basic foodstuffs, breached the EU’s Common Organisation of the Markets (CMO) regulation. The dispute was first brought before a national court by international retailer SPAR.
Producers urge the EU to address delays in CAP aid for farms going organic. France and other member states are facing delays in the payment of CAP subsidies to farms converting to organic farming. On Tuesday (10 September), the French Association for the Defence of Organic Farming (FNAB) won its first legal battle against the national government over the delays.
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