Overview
The policy initiative concerns a legislative file, 2025/0410(COD), titled "Simplification and strengthening of food and feed safety requirements." The file is currently in its preparatory phase in the European Parliament at first reading, with the overall status being ongoing. The analysis is based on a Council document (ST 6465 2026 INIT) and data from public consultations, stakeholder outreach, and media coverage. The core policy topic, as outlined in the Council document, is a proposal to amend EU rules on plant protection products. Specifically, it seeks to define the sowing of seeds pre-treated with such products as a "use" of those products. This amendment is part of a broader Omnibus simplification package and interacts with Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, falling under the EU policy areas of agriculture and environmental regulation.
Legislative timeline
The file is in an early legislative stage. The next procedural steps involve several Council events scheduled for 2026-12-01. These include the presentation of the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending various regulations, alongside accompanying Commission Staff Working Documents.
Institutional handling
The Commissioner responsible for the file is Olivér Várhelyi. The responsible parliamentary committee and specific Council configuration are not detailed in the provided data.
Stakeholder reactions
A public consultation on the initiative received 533 feedbacks from 505 organisations. Sentiment analysis on specific topics shows that feedback on 'EU policy on pesticides' (from 364 organisations) and 'Digital and precision farming' (from 143 organisations) indicated moderate, consensus support. Feedback on 'Reduction targets for pesticides' (from 140 organisations) showed a moderate but divided sentiment. Notable organisational positions from the consultation include strong opposition from the environmental organisation association Camin Ferrat, the consumer organisation Amap, and the NGOs Demeter Slovenija and Generations Futures, while the business association Agripat expressed support.
There has been significant stakeholder engagement, with 92 documented meetings (28 with MEPs, 50 with Commissioners, and 14 with European Commission staff) involving 37 distinct organisations. The most active organisations in these engagements were Pesticide Action Network Europe, the European Environmental Bureau, Générations Futures, Friends of the Earth Europe, and FEDIAF EuropeanPetFood aisbl. Position summaries from meetings indicate that on the topic of 'EU policy on pesticides', CropLife Europe expressed support, presenting priorities ahead of Commission simplification measures. On 'New Genomic Techniques', Merck Sharp & Dohme Europe Belgium SRL showed support, with a request to include veterinary aspects in related legislation. On 'Nutrition', the European Food Forum indicated opposition, linking its priorities to food education and public health.
A clear institutional stakeholder position is evident from the Council document, which notes that Poland, supported by six other member states, strongly opposes the proposal. They argue it would increase administrative burdens and training requirements for farmers, contradict the simplification objective of the Omnibus package, and create legal uncertainty.
Media coverage
Media coverage from the database includes one article from Finland. It reports that Sari Essayah attended a Brussels ministerial meeting on the EU bioeconomy strategy, where she backed regulatory simplification to boost competitiveness and stressed that current sustainability rules are sufficient.