Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA

Policy topics Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA is active on

What Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA has said (49)

• 2026-03-13 “Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission 26.5.2026 Written question With the new Single Market Strategy, the Commission intends to strengthen the integration and efficiency of the internal market. This initiative primarily aims to dismantle unjustified barriers, reduce the administrative burden, stimulate investment, and ensure a level playing field within the Union. With the Wine Package [1] , the Commission is empowered to lay down rules for providing consumers with the list of ingredients and the nutrition declaration via electronic means on the label of wine bottles, with the aim to minimise costs and facilitate trade across the internal market. The Commission started discussing possible elements of a regulation in this regard within the Group of Experts on Wine and Spirits under the common organisation of the markets. In the context of the FISCALIS programme, and with the support of the Commission, experts from Member States have investigated potential solutions, based in part on a one-stop-shop for the payment of excise duty in the Member State of establishment of the seller. The Commission is currently examining these findings with a view to removing obstacles while considering risks of tax evasion. An ongoing study on excise simplification that will be completed by October 2026 will, among others, contain a detailed cost-benefit analysis of the proposed solution that will serve as a basis for potential further action in this field. [1] Regulation (EU) 2026/471 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 February 2026 amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) No 251/2014 and (EU) 2021/2115 as regards certain market rules and sectoral support measures in the wine sector and for aromatised wine products and Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 as regards certain labelling rules for spirit drinks, OJ L, 2026/471, 26.2.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2026/471/oj.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU · EU Single Market harmonisation
• 2025-11-12 “P-004478/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission 1. Control measures for lumpy skin disease (LSD) are in the Animal Health Law (AHL Regulation (EU) 2016/429 1 ), Delegated Regulations (EU) 2020/687 2 and (EU) 2023/361 3 , are aligned with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards and based on the latest science assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) 4 . Safe movement of animals and animal products require full compliance with these rules, including movement restrictions and post-vaccination recovery periods. 2. LSD is not zoonotic and is categorised as a Category A disease under the AHL requiring Union-level intervention due to the seriousness of its impact on animal health, the economy, society, and the environment, according to the criteria laid down in the AHL and supported by evidence from EFSA, EU Reference laboratories (EURL) and WOAH, and is considered appropriate and proportionate to the risk. 3. Under AHL rules, Member States have the possibility to decide whether to implement vaccination against Category A diseases regardless of the authorisation of a ‘DIVA’ (marker vaccine). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay tests validated by EURL differentiate between field and vaccine virus strains, aiding effective surveillance and control. According to the EU framework on Veterinary Medicinal Products (Regulation (EU) 2019/6 5 ), vaccines receive marketing authorisations through applications submitted by pharmaceutical companies, with provisions for accelerated assessments. 1 OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj. 2 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards rules for the prevention and control of certain listed diseases OJ L 174, 3.6.2020 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2020/687/oj. 3 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/361 of 28 November 2022 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and the Council as regards rules for the use of certain veterinary medicinal products for the purpose of prevention and control of certain listed diseases (OJ L 52, 20.2.2023, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2023/361/oj). 4 https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7121. 5 Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on veterinary medicinal products and repealing Directive 2001/82/EC (OJ L 4, 7.1.2019, pp. 43–167, https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/6/oj).”
  Animal diseases prevention and management in the EU
• 2025-10-28 “E-004230/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission An external study supporting the impact assessment accompanying the legislative proposal to revise the Regulation on the protection of animals during transport was concluded in 2023. The study is publicly available 1 . The study, together with other studies, supported the Commission’s impact assessment published together with the legislative proposal in December 2023 2 . The study the Honourable Member is referring to has not been commissioned in the context of the animal transport proposal, but carried out, in line with the Commission’s rules on Better Regulation, in the context of the work related to aspects of animal welfare other than animal transport. 1 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/d67220ce-94e1-11ee-b164-01aa75ed71a1. 2 https://food.ec.europa.eu/animals/animal-welfare/animal-welfare-during-transport_en (see ‘Link to impact assessment and supporting documents’).”
  EU requirements on animal welfare for farmers
• 2025-03-17 “P-001121/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission The European Union is acting to protect its businesses and consumers. That is why the European Union has always been open to negotiate with the United States. The nowsuspended countermeasures are strong but proportionate, taking also into account the input received during the stakeholder consultation and the overall European Union-United States trade relation. The European Union will not hesitate to defend the legitimate interests and rights of its companies and citizens. In the event of additional tariffs by the United States on European wines, the Commission will spare no effort to avert unnecessary damage to the European wine sector. The European Union has at its disposal several instruments for that purpose, including exceptional measures to address market disturbances that can be put quickly in place. If swiftly adopted, the wine package includes several provisions that could help the sector better cope with challenges, such as the prevailing decrease in consumption and global market developments. These measures offer greater flexibility in managing policy instruments, enhance competitiveness, strengthen the sector’s ability to adapt to shifting trends in demand, facilitate the internal market functioning and provide longer support to consolidate external markets.”
  EU-US trade relations · Export of EU agri-food products
• 2025-03-10 “E-001015/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission In accordance with Article 65 of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 1 , when deciding on the area to be made available for new vine plantings each year, the competent authorities of Member States applying the vine planting authorisation scheme shall take into consideration recommendations presented by producer organisations, their associations or interbranch organisations, recognised and operating in the wine sector, by interested groups of producers managing a protected designation of origin (PDO) or a protected geographical indication (PGI), or by other types of professional organisations recognised on the basis of the Member State’s legislation, provided that those recommendations are preceded by an agreement entered into by the relevant representative parties in the reference geographical area. However, these recommendations are not binding, and the competent authorities may also consider other factors they deem relevant for their decision to apply the percentage laid down in Article 63(1) of the CMO to authorisations for new plantings or, in accordance with Article 63(2) of the CMO, to apply at national level a lower percentage or to limit the issuing of authorisations at regional level for specific areas. In accordance with Article 63(3) of the CMO Regulation, Member States must justify their decision to set national or regional limits on the need to avoid a well-demonstrated risk of oversupply, on the need to avoid a welldemonstrated risk of devaluation of a PDO or a PGI, or on the wish to contribute to the development of the products in question while preserving its quality. 1 Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007; OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671–854.”
  Agricultural funding
• 2025-03-10 “E-001016/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission Since January 2023, green harvesting in the wine sector is regulated by Articles 58(1)(c) and 59(3) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 1 and Article 17 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/126 2 . During the previous programming period (2014-2022), the Commission provided examples of eligible costs for green harvesting. As the intervention has not changed, Member States can rely on these examples when calculating the Union financial support for green harvesting under Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. The approach described by the Honourable Member could be adopted by a Member State, provided the aforementioned legal provisions are respected. Beneficiaries are invited to directly contact their competent authorities with a view to receiving examples of calculation methods. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2115/oj/eng 2 https://eurlex.europa.eu/search.html?scope=EURLEX&text=Regulation+%28EU%29+2022%2F126+.&lang=en&type=qu ick&qid=1745908469522”
  Agricultural funding
• 2025-02-25 “E-000835/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 1 sets up harmonised rules as regards the placing of plant protection products (PPPs) on the market. Based on this legal framework and the subsidiarity principle, every Member State is responsible for the assessment and authorisation of each use of PPPs in its jurisdiction. Several provisions in Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 provide possibilities for authorising in Member States PPPs already authorised in other Member States, namely zonal authorisation 2 (Art. 36), mutual recognition (Art. 40), or minor uses extensions (Art. 51). In the absence of applications by a company, mutual recognition can also be initiated by third parties (such as grower organisations or official bodies in Member States). In addition, Member States can grant emergency authorisations for PPPs that have no regular authorisation where this is necessary to combat a danger to plant health that cannot be contained by any other reasonable means (Art. 53). Lastly, as set out in the Vision for Agriculture and Food 3 , the Commission is aware of the need to provide for new active substances of PPPs in order to secure the long-term resilience of farming, nature and health protection. Accordingly, the Commission intends to propose measures that accelerate the access for biocontrol agents into the EU market. 1 http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1107/oj 2 Member States are grouped in three zones: Northern, Central, Southern as set out in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0075”
  EU policy on pesticides
• 2025-02-25 “P-000834/2025 Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission The Commission’s proposed measure 1 is designed to gradually phase out the EU’s dependence on Russian nitrogen-based fertilisers through a transitional approach. This involves measured annual duty increases on Russian imports over an extended period, minimising potential price impacts. Alternative supplies are available, with market data indicating that these alternatives enter the EU market at price levels comparable to Russian fertilisers 2 . Therefore, if adopted in its current form, the Commission expects the measure to result into a gradual and orderly replacement of Russian nitrogen-based fertilisers with alternatives, including domestically produced ones, under similar market conditions and in comparable volumes and quality, not changing present environmental impacts. As a result, the Commission does not anticipate the need to compensate EU farmers or grant derogations under the Nitrates Directive 3 in connection with this proposal. However, the proposal mandates that the Commission monitor nitrogen-based fertiliser prices for four years following the regulation’s implementation. If prices rise substantially, which is not expected to be the case, as explained above, the Commission will assess the situation and take appropriate measures to address the increase. These measures may include proposing the temporary suspension of tariffs on affected goods imported from sources other than Russia and Belarus, among other possible actions. 1 https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-register/detail?ref=COM(2025)34&lang=en 2 Difference of around 1% during the year of 2024 after considering that the latter supplies a EU’s Common Customs Tariff of 6.5%, to which EU domestic production and preferential trade suppliers are not subject. 3 htttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1561542776070&uri=CELEX:01991L0676-20081211”
  Use of fertilisers
• 2025-02-25 “E-000831/2025 Answer given by Mr Dombrovskis on behalf of the European Commission NextGenerationEU comprises the Resilience and Recovery Facility (RRF) as well as other smaller instruments such as the Recovery assistance for cohesion and the territories of Europe (REACT-EU). The RRF is a performance-based instrument under which disbursements are made upon satisfactory fulfilment of milestones and targets. Should the Commission assess that milestones or targets of an instalment are not satisfactorily fulfilled, the payment is suspended in part or in full. If the Member State does not take necessary measures to fulfil the respective milestones or targets within six months from the suspension, the Commission reduces the amount of the financial contribution and, where applicable, of the loan. When the implementation of projects is no longer achievable, either partially or totally, by the Member State concerned because of objective circumstances, the Member State may make a reasoned request to the Commission to make a proposal to amend or replace the measures concerned in the Plan 1 . The conditions under which an entity/beneficiary must repay the funds depend on the specific terms of the relevant measure, as set by the national authorities. Member States are the beneficiaries of the RRF, where disbursements are made upon fulfilment of the relevant milestones and targets. Final recipients, such as municipalities for instance, receive funding from RRF-supported measures upon fulfilment of the specific conditions of the concerned measures. For the purpose of audit and control, Member States should collect and ensure access to a list of any measures for the implementation of reforms and investment projects under the plan with the total amount of public funding of those measures and indicating the amount of funds paid under the Facility and under other EU funds. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021R0241 see Article 21.”
  Conditions to access EU budget · EU funding for transportation
• “Thank you very much, madam. The timetable for this point is the vote is today, this afternoon, and the vote in plenary, if is adopted this afternoon in this committee will be in July. And now we stop until the this afternoon of 230. That is the next meeting.”
  Transparency requirements of EU institutions
• “Thank you very much, Co chair. Madam Commissioner, I'm very grateful that you were able to come today because, uh, although many of us wish we didn't have to face a Crises in general, and damages due to climate crises or health crises. We do need prevention policies and policies that ensure that we care for our environment, and both the natural environment and our urban environment, so that they can better face, uh, crises. This is unfortunately not yet the case. And so it's very good that we have the Union Civil Protection Mechanism to help us in this type of situation. It's been a pleasure to have you here. And it's been interesting to hear, uh, from colleagues as well. So this first session can now be adjourned. This first joint N.V. session is closed. Thank you.”
• “Now, I would just say, uh, one thing for Spanish citizens. So 140m² for my flat €200 increase in what we were paying. That's the the waste, uh, charge that we are paying. So I think that if a citizen is given incentives, uh, a carrot rather than a stick, things function better. So this has been transferred to the, uh, local authorities. Uh, an increase in these charges, uh, on this waste management charge. I don't think it makes people, uh, change their habits. I think it's better to encourage good practices. But, of course, it depends on the cities and the regions. Now, if we're looking at commercial areas, uh, getting rid of, uh, physical, infrastructure, and we're having more packaging because we don't have the fishmongers or the butchers anymore. I think, again, there has to be some kind of tax incentive for the shops selling these types of products and for the consumers who are buying these products as well. I think that's something which is important. I am collecting the waste in my house several times a week.”
  Own resources (plastics)
• “Thank you very much. I'm grateful to the minister for joining us today and having set out these issues. And of course, I agree with her absolutely about the importance of the energy sector when it comes to the maintenance of peace and social cohesion in the EU in the face of the Russian threat. And the initiation of this war and its impact in terms of energy hostilities. But on that issue, I do have a thought. If we're going to focus on energy autonomy, then why is the council not clearly supporting all clean energy sources that have been recognized as clean by the EU? Why is the Council allowing us to give up on some clean energy sources such as nuclear? I think that's something that we think about really in depth. And I'm saying that from the standpoint of a country which is taking decommissioning nuclear stations, even though they are clean energy. And then there is water. I think we're at a critical juncture in Europe when it comes to dealing with the issue of water and the resilience of European citizens when it comes to water. That's an issue for agriculture, cattle farming, for example, industry, tourism. But we also need to regard water as a fundamental resource for life in European cities. Thank you.”
  Nuclear energy
• “And there's been the problem of the trade agreement with the US as well, which hasn't resolved our problems at all. On the contrary, because our wines are going to be subject to 15% tariffs, which are not reciprocal, and therefore we're going to be experiencing difficulties in this area. It's quite clear. I do want to flag that up, and I do want to say to the commission that I would like them to continue to negotiate so that the EU wines are exempted before the summer break, the summer recess. We were studying all these amendments, as I said, and in general terms, I think that there's a lot of similarity with you. I think that our outlook is similar on a number of the key issues. For example, the need to have more money, European money invested, the need for member states to be supported in crisis financing, the need to have multiannual financing across sectors, particularly where. Land is to be taken out of production. There is a whole electronic aspect as well. There's the marketing aspect, and our colleagues, I think, have been submitting amendments on all this. Mr. Dorfmann talked about the issue of prices. He talked about different varietals, about traditional and high value varietals. The commission did put together these proposals in very few months, it has to be said, and the council has now adopted its position to. This means that we must work in an efficient but nimble way as a Parliament.”
  EU-US trade relations
• “Thank you very much. And I'd like to congratulate the executive director. And thank you also. And I'd like to talk about stepping up the role of this competent, serious agency, Efsa. It has huge potential to develop. I'd like to talk about automatic authorisation of plant health products, because the current system of is really slowing down approval of active substances that are really important. What's worse, it's breaking up the single market. If we had single authorisation, that could be applied immediately in all member states. That would empower Efsa and it would make the EU more efficient and have less red tape, which is really what our farmers are calling for. Above all, we've got mushrooms and fungal diseases as well. Just to give you an example, there's been no substances approved yet in Spain to address this either extraordinary or normal measures. So we're breaking the market because other member states have approved these extraordinary substances to address this fungus, which is now not responding to normal plant health products. We really need a system that gives us more efficiency, less red tape. Thank you.”
  EU policy on pesticides
• “So I'd like to thank the colleague that mentioned that challenge as well. We've been talking about marketing promotion. Of course. That's an aspect that we need to look at in order to support and bolster this sector in crisis. Geographical indications and so on. Need to be, uh, need to be protected. And then on labeling, we're trying to provide a solution to an existing problem. It needs to be harmonized. It needs to work for everyone in the sector across the EU. And it needs to help consumers to have all of the information they need available more efficiently. So that's an area where we've seen amendments tabled as well. We talked about ecological tourism. We need to give the sector the opportunity of promoting that. We think that that is an asset to the countryside and rural areas. And an interesting point was mentioned cutting red tape simplification. We often talk about simplification, but of course that's something we shouldn't lose sight of. It does also help the sector to to pick itself back up after this crisis. And what Mr. Basco said is really important. We need to control potential. That's a great way to make sure that we don't waste any product within the EU.”
  Food labelling harmonisation at EU level
• “Thank you very much once again. Well, this has a lot to do with what I said just before what we discussed before, I agree. That there are structural obstacles that are standing in the way of this. And the market needs to be a single market. When we talk about reuse and recycling as a first and secondary primary materials. Now, as we prepared the law of the on the circular economy for this year, this is a market that becomes a single market. Once again, we want to foster the use of circular. Products. But have you thought about what this means for the companies and the consumers. Wouldn't it be more logical to encourage, say, tax breaks for other companies to use certain kinds of packaging, which should be the first and secondary prime materials for making other materials? I'm talking about tax breaks, tax incentives. That's for companies and for consumers. Wouldn't it be smarter to have, um, financial, um, ways of helping consumers so that they can actually do these things in a smart way, make it cheaper and easier for them?”
  Circular economy
• “We've also made the labelling for export more flexible. We've introduced the possibility to provide 100% financing for collective interventions against highly contagious diseases. And we're also promoting a line along with the parliament, where we've improved the text. So it allows pro campaigns that last more than three years with up to 90% involved for small wine growers. And there's also when it comes to third markets, we've got guaranteed measures here so that they can also be dealt with at regional level. We're also improving assistance to improve diversification. Oh, I do apologise, says the speaker. And lastly, we've also achieved that partially, partially. Dealcoholized wines won't say light in alcohol. They'll have a different language which which is what we'd asked for. This covers a lot of the different demands from the sector, which we hope we will be able to provide substantive solutions for, which will help the sector to get through the crisis that it's going through at the moment. In any case, some of the measures that were left out, such as, for example, budgetary flexible flexibility for wine programs or promoting the use of the crisis reserve for grubbing up could have been proposed through the could be proposed through the post 2027 cap reforms. It was very difficult to negotiate with the Danish presidency. That's true. That's how it was. But fortunately we did manage to achieve an agreement. I also would like to thank the services for their work, and that they enabled us to to achieve an agreement that we can vote on in plenary as soon as possible. Thank you very much.”
  Agricultural funding
• “Thank you very much, Mr. Scott. And now, finally, we have the rapporteur from the know. She's not here. Is there anyone from the ESM? No. So now we have finished with the shadow rapporteurs. And now at the end, we have, uh, the EPP coordinator. Peter, please, you have the floor.”
  Transparency requirements of EU institutions
• “Thank you chair. I will speak on behalf of Mr. Canet that is not here. And he is the rapporteur of my political group. We would like to thank her for her draft report on the uninspired Directive review, which recognises the need for simplifying legislations to eliminate the contradictions among them. And we also welcome the Commission's proposal and believe this constitutes the best basis for the discussion. We are currently reflecting on how the voluntary contributions of third parties. Data could still be addressed in the new version of the directive, and perhaps the Commission can comment on this particular point, and we look forward to working with the rapporteur, as we have done until this moment. And thanks so much.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you very much. Mr.. Mr.. And now, before I continue with the intervention from the colleagues, I want to remind you that the catch the eye is open for anyone who can join. Mr. Clark, you have two minutes.”
  EU public communication strategy
• “Thank you very much indeed, chair. Commissioners, thank you very much indeed for your statements. We agree on one thing. Forest fires, unfortunately, now are a or something that we all have to deal with. There are a disgrace. You have said that member states are working in parallel, but not necessarily in coordination. And we do lose a lot of information. Especially because there is a lack of connection between the policies and member states. We do have a few key points for debate last year. Unfortunately, we saw the same structural trend in Europe. There basically. There are seasons that start earlier and last longer now, and they're much more intense than they used to be, the wildfires. And they are in areas where there didn't used to be. So we do need to think about prevention. And that's what you mentioned as well. We need to be resilient. We need to look at planning. We need to look at Reforestation. But I think this is what you mentioned, Mrs. Roosevelt. You talked about. This huge problem of prevention, how they link up with the rules we have at the moment, like Natura or the, um or other pieces of legislation.”
  Management of EU forests
• “Thank you very much, madam Vice President of the European Commission. We are living through some very tense and unstable geopolitical times, which are really show up Europe's vulnerabilities, especially our dependence on fossil fuels and our need to achieve energy autonomy. President von der Leyen, last on the 10th of March, announced there will be a change in her energy policy. She is now moving towards nuclear as one of the essential pillars of that policy, recognizing that it is a clean energy, cheap and good for citizens and industry. This change will not reduce our dependence on the outside, but it would fail to improve the competitiveness of the um. Well, it would improve the competitiveness and avoid blackouts. Given your background, how do you consider the announcement of von der Leyen's change? 26 of the 27 member states already want to move towards nuclear energy. So how does the European Commission consider. That. The. Member States follow those indications. In other words, how can we follow the new guidelines of the European energy policy? Thank you.”
  Nuclear energy
• “Thank you very much, Miss Commissioner. And now we start with the political group representatives with two minutes for everyone. I humbly ask you to be very serious with the time. Only two minutes for an intervention. We start with Mr. Heinrich Pantella from the EPP. You have the floor?”
  EU public communication strategy
• “That's fine. I'd like you to know that you can request the floor under the catch the eye procedure, which is now open. We go with the ECR group. Mr. Vondra. Two minutes please.”
  EU political integration
• “Thank you very much, chair. Thank you, Mr. Buda. I was lucky enough to go to the meeting in September with the Efsa bureau, and one of the things I found out, there was something that I've been very worried about for years, but it was very good to hear this information directly from Efsa. We're very worried about border controls, especially since now trade agreements are a priority for the European Union. We're worried because effective border controls are really not happening. And then when farmers are protesting, they are right about some things. We're very concerned about this because it seems that they're not respecting the conditions that they've signed up to in the agreement. And I would like today to hear from Efsa Sir, about how Efsa can help us support food security at the borders with these trade agreements and then in the future, how can Efsa then adjust its proceedings? And it would be very good to have a report back from that in the coming months. Thank you.”
  Import of agri-food products in the EU
• “Thank you very much. Chair. Commissioner. Recently we heard that from January to September, over 30, um, detections were made at borders. Excuse me. I can't see the commissioner. Thank you very much. Over 30 over 30 detections made of agrifood products coming into the European Union. More than 30 um, illnesses have been discovered that we don't have treatments for. So our farmers will have to tackle these illnesses that we don't have active substances for yet, which are authorised. I'm asking you, have you thought or has it been considered, how the current resources can be used to improve border control? And in which conditions? Um which conditions? This can be done for our farmers.”
  Import of agri-food products in the EU
• “Yes. Thank you. The debate we're having today has not started today. We've seen that, um, a partisan use is being made of the powers of the European Parliament in order to block, uh, certain decisions. A number of different reasons are put forward, but essentially the only reason behind these refusals is ideological in nature. There have been very many objections to authorizations that have been given to GMOs and active substances that have been backed up by science, and the problem is not the lack of democratic legitimacy, but a lack of respect of the scientific opinions of our independent experts. These objections have been turned into a tool to question the scientific criteria of the Efsa and Echa. At the time, the European Union made sure it had these agencies, these tools in order to be able to have an independent analysis and assessment. So obviously the commission has to base its decisions on, um, technical reasons. And as European citizens, we have good health and good food because these agencies assess the foods, the products within our borders. And if we take a look at the processes and decisions, in my opinion, some of them, I feel are sometimes far too demanding and agriculture is one of the losers because it does not have the necessary tools and instruments, and it faces unfair competition from third countries. So the time has come to stop putting obstacles in the path of scientific progress. And there are active substances that prevent pests and diseases. We know that those who suffer from diabetes have insulin, and the farmers are able to control the pests that affect their crops, which means that they can produce high quality products. So which we eat. These are just 1 or 2 examples, and there is a lack of objectivity and some, we see that there's a kind of misleading ideology that some people are defending lying behind this.”
  EU policy on pesticides
• “Thank you very much, madam. The timetable for this point is the vote is today, this afternoon, and the vote in plenary, if is adopted this afternoon in this committee will be in July. And now we stop until the this afternoon of 230. That is the next meeting.”
  EU political integration
• “Thank you, Madam President. Commissioner. This commission plan should be celebrated. We do need to improve our cardiovascular health, and there are lots of steps in the right direction here. But there's a lot of classic good practice here. The kind of thing which has been working well for centuries. The Mediterranean diet, moderate consumption of a variety of foodstuffs of high quality. The European way plus moderate exercise, moderate consumption and a varied diet with all food categories within it. This is what the research says. Don't forget any type of foodstuff. Moderate consumption of wine has also been demonstrated to improve cardiovascular health because of its content. So we should not use heavy handed policy which doesn't take account of scientific research.”
  EU measures on lifestyle-related behaviours (smoking, drinking, eating, etc.)
• “Thank you very much once again. Well, this has a lot to do with what I said just before what we discussed before, I agree. That there are structural obstacles that are standing in the way of this. And the market needs to be a single market. When we talk about reuse and recycling as a first and secondary primary materials. Now, as we prepared the law of the on the circular economy for this year, this is a market that becomes a single market. Once again, we want to foster the use of circular. Products. But have you thought about what this means for the companies and the consumers. Wouldn't it be more logical to encourage, say, tax breaks for other companies to use certain kinds of packaging, which should be the first and secondary prime materials for making other materials? I'm talking about tax breaks, tax incentives. That's for companies and for consumers. Wouldn't it be smarter to have, um, financial, um, ways of helping consumers so that they can actually do these things in a smart way, make it cheaper and easier for them?”
  Re-use of packaging
• “(16:08:29 – 16:09:52): Thank you very much indeed, chair. On this document, the review of the, deforestation regulation, just wanted to say, well, there is some real progress, and I know this, you know, when it comes to specification with specific measures that do away with, the obligations on the final stakeholders, the small operators. But having said that, the improvements in the information system, I don't think there's very much there. We know that European associations, actually 16 of them, Seviol, Copacusheka, ECA, for example, they've put forward various requests, 5 specific requests, because I don't think they've been, satisfied operationally. So, hopefully, this will work, but we're already in June. And I think we have less than 7 months before this, supposed to come into application. So I think the commitments when it comes to the operational nature of the system well, I think things are fluid. I think you need to go even more quickly, and I think you need to deal with this very quick. We need we need the security for these operators. They're the ones who will have to, implement this whole document. Thank you.”
  Trade impact on forests
• “We do need to allow people living in these rural areas to do what they've always done, you know, clearing the forests to make sure there's less combustible material there. They've always done these sorts of things. They've created fire themselves. They created tools to be able to stop bigger fires. Um, and this is a natural thing in the Mediterranean, um, forests on the budget. Well, you're saying everything's okay, but looking at the next MFF, what are we going to do for this year, summer 2026? What budget will we be able to count on? Could you explain that? And when it comes to managing fires that we'll see in member states and in some cases, in my case as well, in the autonomous regions, we do need to push forward cooperation. We need to do that as an obligation, if you will, because it's not a political problem anymore. It's a common sense problem. We can't say that we're going to save the environment if we can't coordinate on this specific issue. These wildfires here, these are the biggest problems we have at the moment. Thank you.”
  Management of EU forests
• “And now? Now we invite our commissioner, Madam Roosevelt, to come, coming to our meeting. Today. Today we have an important exchange of views on the environmental omnibus and the. Excuse me, please, please, if you are not going to take part in the in the meeting, leave the room, please. I was saying that today we have an important exchange of views on environmental omnibus and the strategic framework for the European Union bioeconomy. As you all are, you are all aware the Environmental Omnibus seeks to simplify administrative requirements on environmental legislation, a change that requires careful balance between reducing burdens and safeguarding our environmental standards and ambitions. The Bioeconomy Framework addresses how we can develop a competitive and sustainable European Union by economy, and support European Union businesses. In this respect, Commissioner, we look forward to hearing your vision on these initiatives and to a constructive dialogue with our members. Now, I give you the floor. You have all the time you want, but remember that we are leaving at 2030.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• “Thank you very much. Chairman. And thank you very much, Doctor Chris, for being with us this afternoon and for the information you provided. I'd like to talk about the safety of food products in Europe. As you all know, many of us in this House feel that progress needs to be made towards absolute harmonisation of border controls to avoid. As currently happens, having national interpretations or having to depend on the goodwill of the authorities of Member States and many of us feel to Efsa should be prepared because scientifically that would be right. And the decisions that you take are based on science. And when it comes to border controls, it's absolutely vital that an agency like Efsa should be fully committed to this task. And then on the omnibus regulation, and again, this is of great concern to us. We don't have an agile, simplified procedure that's economically viable for the renewal of active substances in the EU. Let me tell you what's happening. These active substances for farmers. When the patents ran out, because they may run out and companies decide not to renew them, because economically it's not viable. And we're faced with a very serious problem as a result. And that is that many of the treatments for agricultural products that currently only use one product and which are causing resistance in plants. So what happens companies when they have to renew their patents? That's not economically viable for them. And so that means that substances that are theoretically already approved aren't produced anymore, aren't on the market anymore, are not available. Not because they are medically bad, but because they're not economically viable. And so as executive director of Efsa, a question can we develop a system similar to that for pharmaceutical products, for human beings and generics? Could we manage to do that with the few products that we have currently for agricultural products? Because we mustn't lose any opportunity, particularly for products used to treat rice, where the EU runs a deficit and where we're working with very specialised brands that are finding it almost economically impossible to continue producing.”
  EU policy on pesticides
• “Thank you very much. Chair, let me congratulate Mr. De Meo for the good work that's been done. I will, however, put forward some small amendments, but the aim is to boost pdos and Pgis. I think promotion policy is very important for some sectors. Sectors which are crying out for this like wine. In the last wine package we saw that there was a lot of talk about promoting wine. We welcome this report and we hope to further improve it with some amendments.”
  EU framework for voluntary quality and sustainability terms in food marketing
• “Now we can start with, um, the the Coordinators or representatives from the political groups from the EPP. Christine Schneider, you have two minutes. Yeah.”
  EU political integration
• “Thank you. Yes. There'll be the mission to Santa Marta. As you said. And we'd like to contribute as much as we can to the whole debate outlined by the Commission, as well as the representative from the Netherlands. I regret there won't be representatives from all the political groups. That's a shame, but at least we'll be there. What's difficult for me to grasp is that we've got this effort to transition to cleaner fuels and the. Smaller emitters of CO2 are making all the effort, it would seem, rather than the larger emitters. Russia, US, China, both in the transport field and elsewhere, Are going to be absent. But anyway, we will be there. We'll be working on the mandate given us by Parliament and that's it. Thank you chair. I'll be focusing on how we can progressively move away from fossil fuels by starting with a crucial point the elimination of subsidies for fossil fuels. Clear commitments in the eighth action plan for the environment. And there we were calling for gradual elimination. But it's a gradual effort. We're still giving public money to fossil fuels that undermines our credibility and delays the transition. So eliminating these subsidies is a key. We can't carry on financing the problem while we talk about solutions, and even more so in the current context where depending on resources that we don't own.”
  Fossil fuels
• “Thank you very much, president. And I'd like to thank all of you for this debate. It really has been extremely interesting, and it's been great to listen to the various positions on this package. Now. Some people focused on the area that they come from, and some people had a more European approach, which was the approach that we took when we crafted this document, we were trying to provide a response to the sector as a whole. I'd like to emphasise that we've really highlighted the importance of defending the wine sector now, but we also need to look at all opportunities that emerge. So I'd like to thank my colleague who said something very important, which is that we always need to be thinking about defending our traditions, our culture, and also we need to look at the health aspect. We heard about the Mediterranean diet, which is a healthy way of living and contributes to our health. And wine has an important part to play in that as long as it's consumed responsibly. But we shouldn't forget that it does nevertheless play a role. Cancer, cardiovascular diseases, many other diseases that affect us. I mean, all that's bad news. So I'd like to thank everyone who took part in this debate. I'd also like to thank those who mentioned labelling and promotional activities as well. But thank you to all of you for this very productive debate, and hopefully tomorrow we will have a wide vote in favor of this document. Thank you very much.”
  Drinking regulation
• “Thank you very much, Mr. Andriukaitis. And now the floor goes to Madame Bonté from Patriots. **Barbara BONTE Thank you. Chair. I will speak Dutch. Well, first of all, thank you very much. Thank you very much for your presentation. Uh, of course, we all agree on many of these issues of security and safety. And of course, this has to be also part of agreements of trade agreements. Our consumers have to have trust. They have to feel that all products are safe, whether they be from the EU or from third countries. We've seen that it's necessary to be very careful in this particular point. In Brazil, we've seen there have been different issues concerning fodder, and there have been a number of different lacunae. In other words, there's been also growth hormones that have been found in certain animal fodder that are used in Brazil and a number of other issues. So this has to be something that has to be immediately Taken into consideration. Salmonella is another problem that we've seen. A very simple question now. Now, what can you tell us, Commissioner, that about the possibilities of imported meats from Mercosur countries? How can we be certain that those products are safe and that our particular criteria parameter, the various different measures that we have in place that are also implemented in those countries for meat and for meat imported in particular to the European Union. We really must have this taken up by the European Union. It can't be something that's dealt with at the national level by national authorities. National authorities don't have the capability to conduct, conduct the necessary additional controls, task force, European audits. This is obviously very good, but there are a number of different countries or enterprises in those countries where there is no transparency whatsoever and it's impossible to construct the necessary controls. Now our farmers are livestock raisers. They are all subject to very, very strict controls. And of course, this has its consequences as far as costs. And we see what happens when we have these cheap imports. Thank you.”
  Trade relations with Mercosur
• “Thank you very much, chair. I would like to thank the European Court of Auditors and the European Commission, but particularly to the Court of Auditors for the information that they have presented to us today. Um, which is, uh, very important on this issue of municipal waste. Now, uh, I speak as a citizen here as well. And I know what we are paying in Spain, particularly recently, for waste management in our cities when you have a house. Now, I agree about reusing, recycling, reducing all of that is very important. But I am surprised when I hear that you are talking to us about a clear change in the waste management, a significant in, uh, vestment compared to the previous period, because I think it really depends on the regions. Now, I know there's four countries where you centered, uh, your, uh, uh, so obviously not all 27, but I am surprised to hear that there is, uh, more investment in reducing and recycling, because in my country, for example, we don't see those advertising campaigns any more. They're reducing the recycling. Uh, those campaigns just don't seem to be in the public awareness anymore. You also talk about the commission evaluating the costs and benefits, uh, on the viability of introducing taxes.”
  Own resources (plastics)
• “Thank you very much. I don't think you really responded to what I was asking you, though. And I think it's important that you do, uh, because otherwise, if we're not all sticking to the guidelines, what kind of union is it? And, uh, we see, uh, a continuing dismantling of nuclear power stations, uh, even though the population is against it. And so we, uh, see, uh, different, uh, energy policies, changes, saying nuclear, uh, coming back to it the same in Germany. So why, uh, is Spain not following the general recommendations of the EU? Why, uh, are we still, uh, having these issues that lead to these types of blackouts? Thank you.”
  Nuclear energy
• “Thank you very much, chairman. It's true that it's always very alarming when we hear about pesticide residues in products and in the environment. But the fact that it's alarming doesn't mean that we shouldn't pay attention very closely to the decisions that are taken based on scientific criteria. Therefore, EPP wants to focus on the conditions set out by Efsa. And I think that we need to be very responsible and very strict when it comes to science and how that science should guide our decisions. Therefore, we fully support what the Efsa has given us when it comes to aclofen all of the or the OXA, for example, and also the potassium phosphates for products. What scientists say is should be what guides our decisions. Thank you.”
  Maximum residue levels
• “Thank you very, State Secretary, for being here with to today and talking about the priorities for the presidency. I'd like to ask you about. The European citizens. European citizens have been very active in the streets on protests, especially in the primary sector, in the months leading up to the European elections. I'd like to hear from you whether you support green technology, and I'd like to I'd like to hear about that. And there's also the issue of the priority for the Hungarian presidency. There's one issue that's been stuck and blocked for more than a year in the council. And this is new NGOs and new genomic techniques. This is essential because it's science for the primary sector, and it will bring new tools to control plagues. And it will also be very beneficial to fight harm caused by climate change and climate disasters, floods and droughts, for example. And I'd like to know. What prospects does the the European, the Hungarian presidency have when it comes to dealing with those issues? And now on competitiveness and the famous mirror, mirror clause clauses that are called for by the sector in the EU. Is this part of this is part of your priorities as reciprocity? But I'd like to ask what the Hungarian presidency plans to do when it comes to phytosanitary and mirror clauses. There's one problematic issue on banned substances and the use of banned substances in the EU. These are being used in products from third countries. And I'd like to ask what the Hungarian presidency wants to do to ensure that these will no longer be present in the products on our supermarket shelves. Thank you.”
  Pesticides & trade · New Genomic Techniques
• “Thank you very much, president. Thank you, Minister, and thank you, Commissioner Roosevelt. Um, given efforts carried out by the institutions and the increased challenges with biodiversity, with the possibilities offered by internet and social networks, we've seen an increased demand for um protected, um banned species, especially through online trade. And we've seen hidden, um, hunting for these listed species. We need the legal trade to be sustainable in the long term. In order to achieve this, we need greater digitalization and better traceability that ensures control of the trade of these species, together with border control as well as coercive measures in cases of illegal activity. We must not forget that unregulated trade poses risks to human and animal health, as well as to local and global biodiversity. On the one hand, we are seeing the increased risk of propagation of pathogens and zoonotic diseases, especially through the import of traffic. Meat and the uncontrolled import of wild species can also lead to the spread of invasive species, threatening biodiversity. That is, for instance, the case for the Vespa velutina, which is causing problems in the EU and has been responsible for a number of human deaths. The last one last week in my country. Thank you very much.”
  Environmental crimes and justice
• “(10:33:14 – 10:34:26): Thank you, chair. It's 30 years that we're writing the same report. Technical measures are nice and I'll support them, of course, but I will also present amendments. But let's get to the substance of the matter. There's a problem and we have to recognize it. We have destroyed the social image of farmers and livestock farmers. They have been accused of being the cause of climate change, of water pollution, of land pollution. Is that how we wish to attract young people? And then from the council point of view, they are taking decisions in the MFF, and they are always talking about the funds of the cap and trying to cut them. We've seen that for decades. So it's not surprising that farmers and livestock farmers are so old that the average age is 57 because young people have an image that doesn't correspond to reality. It's an simplistic image. It's a negative image that has been imposed by certain policies in Europe. Thank you.”
  Agriculture (green)
• “(15:18:33 – 15:20:40): Thank you very much, chair. I have heard about the steel industry here, but I'm going to talk about another aspect of this document. I'd like to thank Mister Salini for having had the good sense to convey a reality, which is that human activity always has a footprint. All human activity has a footprint, especially if it's related to the economy or transportation. And the previous legislator had great intentions based on an idealized utopian world, but which is not realistic and which is not adapted to reality. And the time to face reality has come. If we do not take into account the effect of profitability, of yield in Europe, then we're not going to be able to move forward. We're not going to be able to move towards a lower footprint. It's not about bringing it to zero. It's about doing it in a more rational way so that we can continue to support our own life and livelihoods. And so I think that the proposals put forward are reasonable, but it goes beyond that. Do you know what our main problem is in Europe? Islands. What about the islands that are not going to be able to provide electricity, especially with a zero footprint? What about the disadvantaged regions? Spain has many geographical handicaps and obstacles. So how are we going to achieve these objectives coming from the left? And even further, we don't have electric infrastructure that is able to cover the entire peninsula. Remember what happened last year during the blackout? So I will work together so that we can achieve our common objectives. Let's work on common shared agreements on caps so that we can reach our objectives in the future.”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “Now we move to Patriots and we have no speaker but ECR. And you have the floor for two minutes. No, no. Uh, renew. Uh, sorry. Um. Madam. Jam jam. Jam jar. Bundy.”
  EU political integration
• “On the Parliament side, we included various measures and ideas in order to complement a proposal which was already positive and which had been welcomed in the Parliament. We have deleted the limit date for the planting authorisations, which was set at 2045. Then the permanent grubbing up of vineyards will be able to be funded using European sectoral funds for the first time, and the idea is to ensure equality of opportunity between the various member States. We have also included a series of clauses that ensures the effectiveness that we're aiming for with this measure, but we're also trying to avoid the permanent abandoning of winegrowing because we're looking to the future. We've also standardised the labelling of wines for export as the sector wanted. We've introduced the possibility for 100% financing for collective interventions against highly contagious diseases that affect vines. And in line with this Parliament's position, we have also improved the text to ensure that campaigns have a duration of up to nine years, with contributions of up to 90% of the costs for small scale operators. And the definition of foreign markets means that large markets will be able to be divided up regionally. And here I'd like to thank my colleague Paolo de Nacimiento for this brilliant idea.”
  Agricultural funding