On 10th March (8h30-13h00), the next Brussels Development Briefing will discuss the key role Biodiversity plays in rural development, especially for ACP countries.  Issues at stae include: the relationship between poverty and biodiversity, the effects of biodiversity loss in hunger and food insecurity, governance issues, the Intellectual Property Rights’ challenge, farmers rights and economic incentives, policies and legislation at the national, regional and global levels.

For information and registration: boto@cta.int or pruna@cta.int

European Parliament:  
-8th-12th February (Strasbourg): Plenary session of the European parliament, MEPs will vote Tuesday on whether to approve or reject the new Barroso II European Commission

EU Presidency:
- 10th February (Albacete) : II Conference on climate change and sustainability
-11th  February (Brussels): Informal meeting of Heads of State or Government at the initiative of The permanent president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy.

ACP Secretariat (Brussels):
- 9th February: ACP-EC Thematic Group I of the Revision of Cotonou
- 11th February: Committe of Ambassadors
 
 
For more information please consult the calendar on our webpage http://brussels.cta.int/

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) has urged the government to renegotiate the implementation date of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) until the country’s industry achieves further recovery. News agency New Ziana quoted the CZI president Joseph Kanyekanye on Wednesday as saying that Zimbabwe’s industry was still fragile and was unlikely to have fully recovered to be in a position to compete with goods from Europe by 2013. The country signed an interim EPA in 2008 under which it agreed to open up at least 45 percent of its market to goods from Europe by 2013 and to increase the proportion to 80 percent by 2022. Kanyekanye said it would be prudent for the country to renegotiate the implementation date as the influx of goods from Europe would present a threat to local industry.

Source: Agence Centre Afrique Presse

Despite soaring sugar prices resulting from poor cane harvests, European beet growers are blocked from exporting their surplus sugar, despite repeated requests. Enough is enough! Europe has produced record sugar production this year, thanks to the favourable weather conditions for sugar beet cultivation. The EU thus has a sugar surplus of several million tonnes, but is currently restricted by an export ceiling of 1.35 million tonnes imposed by the WTO. For years, thanks to subsidies from Brussels, European sugar flooded the world market, despite the fact that its price was far higher than that of the market. In order to comply with the WTO ruling and end this unfair competition, the European Commission reorganized the sector, limiting production, drastically reducing price guarantees and since last year authorizing export licences without public assistance.The reform has been effective – from being a sugar exporter, Europe is now a net importer – but the spiralling prices of the last 12 months have changed the game.Current European prices are now lower than the world market price; yet European sugar producers cannot sell their surplus and satisfy the demand of the large sugar importers. The case will be discussed by the Commission this Monday.

Source: RFI

Harlem Désir expressed his general support for the Partnership between the European Union and ACP countries, but stated that the historically special relationship should not be lost by the need to comply with certain rules, for example, of the WTO.In particular, the partnership should maintain coherence between the Union’s policies as a whole – commercial and budgetary – and development objectives in ACP countries, including the promotion of peace, security, democracy and human rights. Rather than imposing a model, the EU should work with these countries to help create their own, sustainable development. In this perspective, the review of the partnership is a valuable opportunity to address recent and current crises in the last five years: climate change; technology transfer; development assistance in renewable energy; food insecurity, and thereby greater emphasis by the Partnership on agriculture, food sovereignty, financial abuse, good fiscal governance and the fight against tax havens. Mr Désir added that he could relate to all these points.

Source: Socialist MEPs

Big-name retailers like Tesco and Carrefour should help prepare consumers for innovations in the food sector, according to the top civil servant in the EU executive's directorate for health and consumer protection. Robert Madelin, director-general of the European Commission's DG Sanco, told a meeting of retailers that supermarkets needed to be upfront in explaining the risks and benefits of advances such as nanotechnology.Pointing to the genetically-modified (GM) food fiasco of the 1990s, he said supermarkets had "followed" the crowd rather than taking the lead.On GM, they [retailers] followed their customers and took products off the shelves. On other technologies, they could lead and prepare the debate. "They have a role in spurring innovation," he told a meeting of the European Retail Round Table in Brussels on Monday (18 January). Madelin said powerful retailers should try to take a long-term view and ask themselves what their role is in the context of the EU 2020 strategy.

Source: Euractiv

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has added 14 substances to the list of  "very high concern" chemicals to undergo special health and safety scrutiny under the bloc's chemical regulation REACH. The identification of a substance of very high concern and its inclusion on the list is the first step in the new EU authorisation procedure. The chemicals agency underlines that companies may have immediate legal following the inclusion of the substances on the list.These obligations are linked to the listed substances and products that contain them, and mainly concern the duty of suppliers, producers and importers to provide their customers and consumers with information, notify the ECHA or provide safety data.

Source: Euractiv

French energy company EDF Energies Nouvelles announced the construction of two wind farms in Southern France, for a total installed power capacity of 38 MW. One plant is to be built by German company RePower in the Herault Department and will develop a power capacity of 26 MW, while the second one is located on the Haute Loire Department and includes six machines supplied by Enercom developing a power of 12 MW.In 2009 EDF EN commissioned 95 MW in France thus reaching almost 400 MW installed in the Country. EDF biggest wind power site in the Mediterranean France is that of Villesèque, Aude, which develops 50.6 MW with 22 turbines.EDF EN currently has two wind farms also in Languedoc Roussillon, but the company's main projects are overseas, including Canada. In the first 9 months of 2009 recorded a turnover of 708 million euros.

Source: Green Planet

Nine new offshore wind farms are to be built in the UK, further to the Government's green light on January 8. The new plants will help the UK get closer to meet Europe's renewable energy targets by multiplying by four the wind power capacity in the Country. The so-called 'Round 3' grants announced will deliver 32 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy, supplying a quarter of the UK's total electricity needs by 2020. This adds to the 8GW provided by previous rounds. The winning companies signed contracts with the Crown Estate, which owns the British sea bed, for exclusive rights to develop offshore wind in these areas. The contract for the biggest area in Dogger Bank, which could potentially produce 9GW, went to a consortium including Statoil and RWE Npower Renewables, one of leading renewable energy developers in the UK. Other winners include a consortium between Scottish Power Renewables and Vattenfall Vindkraft, and the company Eon Climate and Renewables UK, EurActiv.com reported. In Europe, the UK currently leads the way for both installed capacity and projects under construction, but it may experience a lull in activity in 2013 and 2014. Germany will more than take up the slack, and will go on to become the industry's power house from 2014 onwards. China and the USA will also be very significant players in the longer term.

Source: Green Planet

Figures from the Government of the Province of Andalusia reveal that this region of southern Spain is now leader in Europe as for the production of solar energy.There are more than half million m² of solar thermal plants in Andalusia (557,329 m²). They currently provide hot water to 218,370 households, Econostrum.com reported. The solar plants are distributed all over the province: Seville has 223 852 m² of thermal sensors, followed by Malaga, with 101 050 m², Cadiz with 82 937 m², Almeria with 34 308 m², Cordoba, Granada and Jaen with around 30 000 m².Photovoltaic power installed in Andalusia amounts to 1,665.79 MW, which are largely due to the concentration tower Heliostats.18 PV projects are underway, and they should increase the Andalusian installed capacity by 867 MW in the years to come. Andalusia then would produce 37% of Spanish solar electricity.

Source: Green Planet

The European Commission has decided to delay its decision - from yesterday January 13 to a new undetermined date - about whether to include the bluefin tuna in the endangered species' list. Despite the EC's initial endorsement of the proposal, the refusal of a majority of EU countries is forcing an about turn. However there is not much time left now, as the final negotiations are being held in March in Doha (Qatar), when the world's Countries that have signed the CITES convention will meet. The position of the European Commission is still unclear: as a matter of fact, it is uncertain whether the Commission will present his proposal in the coming days or wait for the new team of Commissioners that will come soon into charge, as reported by Agrocope.com.

Source: Green Planet

72% of UK consumers want carbon labels on food products, as this would help them to think 'green', reveals a by Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University. A total of 432 shoppers across all of the UK's major supermarkets were questioned on their demand for carbon labelling, their knowledge of their personal carbon footprints, whether they think climate change is an important issue when buying food, and whether current carbon labels are easily understood. 83% of shoppers do not know their own personal carbon footprint, but almost three quarters of respondents said that clearer carbon labelling on food products would help them to think 'green', the study concluded.63% of those surveyed via a questionnaire thought that carbon labels were a useful indicator for comparing environmental standards, although largely quality and taste (76%) were still deemed more important when purchasing food than environmental issues such as carbon (44%) and food miles (42%). However, 68% claimed their purchasing behaviour had changed significantly in the past ten years. Consumers stated that their spending habits had shifted towards purchasing more free range (46%), more fair trade (42%), more locally sourced food (32%), and more organic and less processed food products (32%).

Source: Green Planet

The three proposals for the EU organic logo, that was being until January 31, raised critical comments within the organic industry in many EU Member States, including the Flanders' organic association BioForum. The new EU logo will be displayed on all organically certified products of the European Union, and the winner will be compulsory on all organic products of the member Countries in addition to existing national ones. The organic industry, however, is very unsatisfied with the three proposals as "they have no visible link with the sector. One could ask the question whether the consumer is aware the an organic product is involved" director Leen Laenens of BioForum says in a statement.That could be remedied by a communication campaign in all member states, but there is no money allocated for that in the European budgets. "We want to avoid at all cost, that a logo nobody wants becomes compulsory," Laenens says. According to the European Commission it is, however, too late to stop the current procedure.

Source: Green Planet

EU Environmental Ministers discussed initial steps to be taken following the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference at an informal meeting organized by the Spanish Presidency in Seville, Spain, on 16 January 2010. According to Spanish State Secretary for Climate Change Teresa Ribera, who presided over the Informal Council of EU Environment Ministers, the ministers expressed a shared “will” to consolidate a “rapid and efficient” process on climate change, to seek an “integrative effort” leading to the Mexico climate conference by the end of 2010, and to put in place “an action strategy” to implement the Copenhagen Accord.Further discussions on climate change will be held on 18 January 2010, in Brussels, Belgium, by the EU Permanent Representatives Committee, which is expected to decide whether the EU will take up a 30% emission reduction target - notwithstanding the fact that this had been made conditional on similar actions by other countries - or whether it will confirm the 20% target already in place.

Source: Spanish EU Presidency

A Commission humanitarian expert arrived on 13 January in Port-au-Prince on a needs assessment mission with representatives of the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), the Spanish Red Cross and the Dominican Red Cross. Thanks to previous recent financing, the capacity of several of the Commission's larger partners to evaluate needs in an emergency situation has been reinforced. The catastrophe in Haiti will demonstrate the effectiveness of this reinforcement, and will enable the improved evaluation and targeting of relief in this major crisis.

Source: European Commission Humanitarian Aid

New GM crop trials are to be carried out in Britain after a trial by Leeds University successfully produced GM potatoes in 2009. The scientists who carried out the trial are to apply for a licence to continue testing crops in 2010 on dedicated testing farms around the UK. The government's chief scientific advisor, John Beddington, recently spoke out to the farming community advising a 'green revolution' to help combat problems of exploding population size and rising temperatures, according to the Guardian. The measures he advocated included nanotechnology and GM farming. However, organic farmers and environmentalists oppose the plan, saying GM foods are potentially damaging. According to Greenpeace: 'The long term effects of GM crops have not been properly researched and, by cross-pollinating with non-GM crops and wild plants, they replicate themselves and contaminate the environment with genetic pollution that is impossible to clean up.' The Food Standards Agency, however, says: 'Each GM food is assessed for safety, including its toxicological, nutritional and allergenic potential, on a case-by-case basis before it can be approved for marketing.

Source: Freshplaza

Italy is the Achilles heel of the campaign to maintain Europe's defences against genetically modified crops, a US report has said, adding that the region's consumers are not as opposed to the technology as is portrayed. </span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt">With 65% of Italians supporting biotechnology, and the Vatican a "vocal advocate" of GM crops as a way of easing hunger in Africa, the country was a "good place to start" a campaign to "educate" Europeans about GM crops. "Italy may present uniquely valuable opportunity for improving public opinion about biotechnology in the EU," her report said. gaging Italy's consumers in the biotechnology debate could help battle the "minority composed of fringe groups and government officials [which] are responsible for Italy's ban on biotech crops and food", Cynthia Barmore, US Department of Agriculture attaché in Rome, said.

Source: Checkbiotech

Some of the companies that will be attending IFAT explain that they do not rely on raw materials from outside the farming sector because of “the variable composition of other energy sources, which hinder significantly the fermentation process” adding that “it is necessary to sanitise expired food and other cooked foodstuffs prior to fermentation”. Germany’s biogas industry is dominated by companies such as Schmack Biogas, with 22 plants around the world, and Strabag Umwelt, with 34 installations. Between them, these two companies process almost 4 million tonnes of waste per annum. According to the European renewable energies observatory (EurObserv’ER), in 2007 20,000 TWh of electricity was generated in the EU using biogas, half in Germany.

Source: Checkbiotech

Although IFAT 2010 in Munich (Germany), one of the most important environmental equipment and services trade fairs in the world, is still nine months away, the German biogas industry has started preparing for this event by clearly stating its strengths: 4,500 plants (95% industrial) and half the electricity production in the European Union.The organisers of IFAT 2010 (13-17 September 2010) present Germany as the leader of the European Union's biogas industry and therefore advise industry players to attend the biannual event in Munich to find out about the latest biogas systems and technologies. According to data published by Fachverband Biogas (Germany’s biogas trade association), 4,500 plants were in operation in Germany at the end of 2009; 95% of which use waste from crop and livestock farms such as slurry, manure and energy crops.In contrast to other countries where most biogas is produced using organic municipal waste, Germany relies mainly on farms for its raw material. This country has also proven the viability of producing biogas using organic waste from the food industry.

Source: World of Renewables

With the Lisbon Treaty in place and recruitment ready to start for the European diplomatic service, France is on a mission to strengthen its "francophone exigency," said former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, special envoy on francophony to President Nicolas Sarkozy. On a visit to Brussels last Thursday (14 January), Raffarin said that France would be "gentle, but firm" in achieving a better linguistic balance in the EU institutions. The message was addressed to EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, with whom Raffarin held talks during his one-day visit. The promotion of francophony has geopolitical implications for Europe, Raffarin argued, as the alternative would be a G-2 between the USA and China. Francophony, which in his eyes unites Europe and Africa, has a strategic role to play in this respect, he stressed.

Source: Euractiv

The Spanish Presidency's hopes of reviewing the EU's long-standing position on Cuba were frustrated last week when influential representatives from Europe's leading political family proclaimed their opposition to the move. A panel discussion organised by the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and the Lech Wałęsa Institute in Brussels saw Spanish and Polish delegates reject moves by Spanish Prime Minister José Luiz Rodríguez Zapatero to rekindle relations with the dissenting Caribbean state. Polish parliamentarians drew heavy comparisons between the situation of the people of Cuba and that of Polish citizens before 1989. Ryszard Schnepf, Poland's ambassador to Madrid, claimed that "Polish people have a special right to speak on this matter because of what we suffered. We Polish can prove that impossible things can indeed become possible". Spanish members of the European People's Party (EPP), from the Partido Popular (PP), suggested taking lessons from Spain's peaceful democratic transition in the 1970s. "The internal dynamics are always the key. External factors can help, but are never decisive," said Jaime Mayor Oreja, EPP vice-president and leading Spanish candidate in last June's European elections.

Source: Euractiv

Dacian Cioloş, the EU's commissioner-designate for agriculture, pledged equal distribution of EU farm aid across the EU 27 and fair income for farmers during a three-hour confirmation hearing in the European Parliament on Friday (15 January). His vision for a strong post-2013 EU farm policy convinced members of the House and reassured farmers alike "The main priority of my mandate is to define the perspective of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2013," said Cioloş, presenting his vision for his potential five-year mandate in the Barroso II Commission. The Romanian nominee for the European Commission said that the reformed policy should give farmers a stable and predictable environment, consumers safe and healthy food and taxpayers assurances that their money is being spent in an efficient and transparent manner. "Nothing achieved so far [with the CAP] can be taken for granted," he said, stressing that the main objectives of the policy are to ensure food security for Europe and a decent income for farmers.He also said that reducing the production capacity of European agriculture is not in the interest of the EU, pledging to keep a strong and well-funded EU farm policy even after 2013.

Source: Euractiv