European lawmakers have backed the European Commission’s proposal to extend the length of an aid package for winegrowers by a year.
A first set of extraordinary measures was originally adopted by the Commission in May 2020 and then reinforced last July, after the call for a more ambitious aid package come from MEPs.
The support is intended to help winegrowers coping with the disruption caused by the pandemic and in particular by the closure of restaurants and bars across the EU.
According to the Commission, the demand in the wine market was particularly hit by restrictions and cancellations of celebrations.
Seed industry in new push to deregulate GMOs Details
Italy and France are in the lobbyists crosshairs
A small but powerful minority of seed and agriculture industry lobby groups continue to push for the deregulation of old and new GMOs (New Breeding Techniques or NBTs), both at European level and in the Member States, reports the peasant farmer network European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC).
ECVC member organisations in Italy and France have denounced the attempts to introduce GMOs by trying to change the Italian legislation on seed marketing without any public debate – and by refusing to apply European regulations on GMOs in France.