Four MEPs from The Left group have asked the European Commission to revise the Union Customs Code (UCC) so that the 'last substantial transformation' criterion no longer applies to agri-food products, arguing that the current rule undermines transparency and harms protected geographical indications.
In a written parliamentary question submitted on 11 June 2026, Danilo Della Valle, Carolina Morace, Gaetano Pedulla' and Dario Tamburrano called on the Commission to align the UCC's country-of-origin provisions with the definition of 'place of provenance' in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers. The MEPs contend that Article 60 of the UCC allows a product made entirely from raw materials sourced in other states to be labelled as originating from the country where it underwent its last processing, enabling 'Italian-sounding' goods that distort competition and penalise genuine local producers such as Campania's PDOs, PGIs and traditional agri-food products.
first, to propose a revision of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 to exempt agri-food products from the last substantial transformation rule; second, to harmonise the UCC's origin criteria with the consumer information regulation; and third, to adopt measures protecting certified local products from distortions caused by EU customs law.
This parliamentary initiative targets a long-standing tension between customs rules designed for industrial supply chains and the specificities of agricultural value chains, where processing steps may be minimal but still confer origin status. The MEPs frame the issue as one of consumer transparency and fair competition for small-scale producers, particularly those relying on geographical indications.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its response will signal whether it considers the current rules adequate or is open to a targeted revision for the agri-food sector.