Rapporteur Talks

The EU’s new flagship food policy - The Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F) - was released on May 20th, confirming the aspiration of the EU executive to transform the way of producing, distributing and consuming food in the EU and beyond. The strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal aiming to make food systems economically efficient, fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly.

The strategy also aims to accelerate our transition to food systems that are sustainable as well as resilient to crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The use of innovative technologies in producing food, and the corresponding investments companies need to make, will be essential in achieving these goals.

On the consumption side, the F2F Strategy aims to improve the availability and price of nutritious and sustainable food and to promote adoption of healthy and sustainable diets by consumers. Key elements include improving consumer information, strengthening sustainable food procurement and encouraging adoption of fiscal measures that support sustainable food consumption.

The F2F Strategy is also a central part of the EU recovery plan. Executive Vice-President Timmermans claims it holds the potential to create immediate business and investment opportunities to restore Europe’s economy.

The European Commission has announced its intention to revise the EU Batteries Directive and create a new regulatory framework for batteries, with a view to providing Europe with an effective battery value chain to achieve the ambitious EU climate change, circularity and clean transport targets.

The revision of the directive will affect production as well as end-of-life management. To be effective and avoid unintended negative consequences, it is important that all stakeholders, including producers and recyclers, contribute to the revision process.

Industry wants the new regulatory framework to consider elements such as: raw materials in emerging battery technologies; a science and risk-based approach as the basis for decision making; collection targets; second life and reuse of batteries; recycling processes and efficiencies; assessing batteries footprint; responsible sourcing; labelling requirements.

The European Commission has announced its intention to revise the EU Batteries Directive and create a new regulatory framework for batteries, with a view to providing Europe with an effective battery value chain to achieve the ambitious EU climate change, circularity and clean transport targets.

The revision of the directive will affect production as well as end-of-life management. To be effective and avoid unintended negative consequences, it is important that all stakeholders, including producers and recyclers, contribute to the revision process.

Industry wants the new regulatory framework to consider elements such as: raw materials in emerging battery technologies; a science and risk-based approach as the basis for decision making; collection targets; second life and reuse of batteries; recycling processes and efficiencies; assessing batteries footprint; responsible sourcing; labelling requirements.

While the prevalence of single-use plastic has grown dramatically over the last 20 years, the systems to contain, collect, reuse and recycle it have not kept pace. Plastic drinking bottles could be made out of 100% recycled plastic, known as rPET, and campaigners are pressing drinks companies to significantly increase the amount of recycled plastic in their bottles.The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive sets a 90% separate collection target for plastic beverage bottles by 2029. Policymakers are debating whether deposit return schemes (DRS) can be the solution to achieve this target. Several EU countries have demonstrated that DRS can help meet the SUP targets much earlier than 2029 and guarantee a closed loop for plastic bottles.DRS are a system where consumers buying a product pay an additional fee (a deposit) that is reimbursed upon the return of the packaging or product to a collection point.On the one hand, DRS have the benefit of yielding high return rates in a separate “clean” stream for PET beverage bottles, thereby guaranteeing a closed loop and enabling a higher use of recycled content. However, there are also disadvantages to this system such as a perceived rise in the cost of products to consumers.

While the prevalence of single-use plastic has grown dramatically over the last 20 years, the systems to contain, collect, reuse and recycle it have not kept pace. Plastic drinking bottles could be made out of 100% recycled plastic, known as rPET, and campaigners are pressing drinks companies to significantly increase the amount of recycled plastic in their bottles.The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive sets a 90% separate collection target for plastic beverage bottles by 2029. Policymakers are debating whether deposit return schemes (DRS) can be the solution to achieve this target. Several EU countries have demonstrated that DRS can help meet the SUP targets much earlier than 2029 and guarantee a closed loop for plastic bottles.DRS are a system where consumers buying a product pay an additional fee (a deposit) that is reimbursed upon the return of the packaging or product to a collection point.On the one hand, DRS have the benefit of yielding high return rates in a separate “clean” stream for PET beverage bottles, thereby guaranteeing a closed loop and enabling a higher use of recycled content. However, there are also disadvantages to this system such as a perceived rise in the cost of products to consumers.

Over the years, the European Union has put in place legislation to tackle discrimination, such as the Racial Equality Directive. While the Directive was adopted two decades ago, various problems still persist in the national implementation of European non-discrimination law. There is a lack of awareness of victim’s rights, existence and work of specialised bodies and redress mechanisms, and sometimes an unclear understanding of how racism manifests itself. One important way to promote awareness is to increase and improve the media coverage on discrimination in general and racial or ethnic discrimination in particular. This can be done by enhancing journalists’ capacities regarding the rights of citizens and appropriate terminology for reporting on discrimination issue. This media training addresses these needs by clarifying the relevant legal concepts and discussing the role of the media in tackling racial discrimination.

According to the European Green Deal, transport accounts for a quarter of the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions, a substantial contributor to climate change. A 90% decrease in transport emissions, and an increase in renewable energy sources, will be necessary in order to reach climate neutrality by 2050.Steps have been taken in the right direction, with the EU adopting one of the most ambitious renewable energy policies in the world in 2018; the revised Renewable Energy Directive. This Directive strengthens the sustainability of bio-energy - allowing Europe to maintain its role as a global leader in the fight against climate change.But will the EU be able to fully mobilise all of the tools it has at hand to reach carbon-neutrality by 2050 – without overlooking the current 2020 goals? As stated in the EU's 2020 Renewable Energy Goals Progress Reports, more than half of Member States still need to meet their targets, with a clear deceleration since 2015. Biofuels will play an important role in reaching these targets, as they contribute to the reduction of urban pollution

According to the European Green Deal, transport accounts for a quarter of the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions, a substantial contributor to climate change. A 90% decrease in transport emissions, and an increase in renewable energy sources, will be necessary in order to reach climate neutrality by 2050.Steps have been taken in the right direction, with the EU adopting one of the most ambitious renewable energy policies in the world in 2018; the revised Renewable Energy Directive. This Directive strengthens the sustainability of bio-energy - allowing Europe to maintain its role as a global leader in the fight against climate change.But will the EU be able to fully mobilise all of the tools it has at hand to reach carbon-neutrality by 2050 – without overlooking the current 2020 goals? As stated in the EU's 2020 Renewable Energy Goals Progress Reports, more than half of Member States still need to meet their targets, with a clear deceleration since 2015. Biofuels will play an important role in reaching these targets, as they contribute to the reduction of urban pollution

Wenn die EU bis 2050 klimaneutral sein soll, werden alle Wirtschaftssektoren zu einer nachhaltigen Zukunft beitragen müssen. Dazu gehört auch der Agrarsektor, der für zehn Prozent der Treibhausgasemissionen in Europa und acht Prozent in Deutschland verantwortlich ist. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, hat Deutschland im vergangenen September ein Klimagesetz verabschiedet. Zum ersten Mal werden darin verbindliche, feste Ziele für die Non-ETS-Sektoren vorgegeben. Für die Landwirtschaft bedeutet das einen maximalen Ausstoß von 61 Millionen Tonnen CO2-Äquivalenten bis 2030 - der Sektor wird seine Emissionen also um 14 Millionen Tonnen reduzieren müssen. Unterdessen arbeitet die EU-Kommission an einer Folgenabschätzung, um das Gesamtklimaziel der EU für 2030 zu erhöhen. Dadurch wird in einigen Jahren auch das Ambitionsniveau für die deutsche Landwirtschaft angehoben werden. Aber angesichts der seit Jahren stagnierenden Emissionen aus der Landwirtschaft stellt sich die Frage, wie das umgesetzt werden kann. In ihrem Klimagesetz schlägt die Regierung eine Reihe von Maßnahmen vor: Dazu gehören unter anderem die Reduzierung der überhöhten Stickstoffmengen, die Ausweitung des ökologischen Landbaus und die Senkung der Emissionen aus der Viehzucht. Aber reicht das aus, um diese höheren Ziele zu erreichen? EURACTIV organisierte diesen virtuellen Stakeholder-Workshop, um über diese Frage zu diskutieren. Weitere Punkte waren unter anderem: - Wie groß ist das verbleibende Reduktionspotenzial für Emissionen aus der Landwirtschaft? - Welche strukturellen Veränderungen sind erforderlich? Sind kleinere oder größere Betriebe besser für den nötigen Wandel ausgestattet? - Inwiefern können neue Technologien und digitale Lösungen den Kohlenstoff-Fußabdruck der Landwirtschaft verkleinern? - Welche Rolle spielt der Verbraucher? Wie lässt sich Konsumverhalten steuern?

Wenn die EU bis 2050 klimaneutral sein soll, werden alle Wirtschaftssektoren zu einer nachhaltigen Zukunft beitragen müssen. Dazu gehört auch der Agrarsektor, der für zehn Prozent der Treibhausgasemissionen in Europa und acht Prozent in Deutschland verantwortlich ist. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, hat Deutschland im vergangenen September ein Klimagesetz verabschiedet. Zum ersten Mal werden darin verbindliche, feste Ziele für die Non-ETS-Sektoren vorgegeben. Für die Landwirtschaft bedeutet das einen maximalen Ausstoß von 61 Millionen Tonnen CO2-Äquivalenten bis 2030 - der Sektor wird seine Emissionen also um 14 Millionen Tonnen reduzieren müssen. Unterdessen arbeitet die EU-Kommission an einer Folgenabschätzung, um das Gesamtklimaziel der EU für 2030 zu erhöhen. Dadurch wird in einigen Jahren auch das Ambitionsniveau für die deutsche Landwirtschaft angehoben werden. Aber angesichts der seit Jahren stagnierenden Emissionen aus der Landwirtschaft stellt sich die Frage, wie das umgesetzt werden kann. In ihrem Klimagesetz schlägt die Regierung eine Reihe von Maßnahmen vor: Dazu gehören unter anderem die Reduzierung der überhöhten Stickstoffmengen, die Ausweitung des ökologischen Landbaus und die Senkung der Emissionen aus der Viehzucht. Aber reicht das aus, um diese höheren Ziele zu erreichen? EURACTIV organisierte diesen virtuellen Stakeholder-Workshop, um über diese Frage zu diskutieren. Weitere Punkte waren unter anderem: - Wie groß ist das verbleibende Reduktionspotenzial für Emissionen aus der Landwirtschaft? - Welche strukturellen Veränderungen sind erforderlich? Sind kleinere oder größere Betriebe besser für den nötigen Wandel ausgestattet? - Inwiefern können neue Technologien und digitale Lösungen den Kohlenstoff-Fußabdruck der Landwirtschaft verkleinern? - Welche Rolle spielt der Verbraucher? Wie lässt sich Konsumverhalten steuern?