One of the priorities of the French EU presidency will be the disruption of competition caused by the import of products from third countries produced under lower standards. This was announced by the French Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie. He wants to link trade policy and access to the internal market to compliance with European standards.
In addition, France also wants to tackle competition distortions between the EU countries themselves. A common market also involves uniform rules and joint efforts to combat social and ecological inequalities, according to the minister.
In an interview with the weekly magazine “La France Agricole,” Denormandie also announced that he will advocate within the EU for less use of antibiotics, maximum pesticide residue levels, and combating deforestation. President Emmanuel Macron announced in September that France would present an initiative during its EU presidency to accelerate the reduction of pesticide use.
Minister Denormandie expressed opposition to “senseless” soybean imports from South America, which continue to promote deforestation in the rainforest. His announcements were welcomed by nature organizations and opponents of pesticides. France supports reducing the use of crop protection products and opposes the renewed approval of glyphosate or the authorization of new genetic modification processes.
According to Denormandie, “this proposal is crucial for the preservation of ecosystems, the fight against climate change, and the maintenance of our sustainable consumption patterns.” France will also defend a “high” level of ambition for the regulation proposed by the European Commission, he added.
France also aims to make food product labeling mandatory across the entire EU in the first half of 2022. Labeling the ecological footprint of goods is a long-standing wish of President Emmanuel Macron. France has already developed its own Nutri-Score, which is now supported by several other EU countries.
France will take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU on January 1. In April, presidential elections will take place in France, and Macron seeks re-election. Over the coming six months, the EU must also make decisions on the ‘modernization’ of EU structures and procedures. This ‘European Future Conference’ is expected to play a major role in French domestic politics.