In a resolution adopted on Wednesday with 447 votes in favor, 142 against, and 31 abstentions, the Parliament said the EU should become less dependent on imports from non-EU countries. Furthermore, the EU should diversify the supply of crucial products such as fertilizers, feed, and raw materials.
The now adopted non-binding resolution was introduced by the agriculture committee in response to 'reassuring' statements from the European Commission about the consequences of the Russian wars against Ukraine and what this could mean for the global food supply.
The Members of the European Parliament want EU campaigns against food waste. They also want supermarkets to cooperate with food banks and advocate investments in infrastructure for more sustainable transport and storage of agricultural products.
Trade agreements should include a chapter on food and agricultural products to combat unfair competition with manufacturers from non-EU countries, who are subject to less stringent legislation.
Although EU politicians acknowledge that the European Green Deal is a possible "milestone in the EU's transition to a greener, more sustainable and resilient economy and agriculture," they also state that "some measures may have unintended effects that have not yet been properly assessed and identified."
The European Commission has previously pointed out that the consequences of the new agricultural policy have already been extensively examined, including over 600 pages of research reports from scientific institutes, and states that not everything, even in the distant future, can currently be calculated down to the last detail.