Ensuring that current legislation is properly implemented should have been the main priority of the commission instead of trying to change the present market authorization procedure.
Speaking on behalf of E.U. Food and Feed Chain partners, Pekka Pesonen, Copa-Cogeca secretary general, warned the European Commission about the adverse economic and social impact of this proposal.
“It will seriously threaten the Internal Market for food and feed products, causing substantial job losses and lower investment in the agri-food chain in ‘opt-out’ countries. This would cause serious distortions of competition for all E.U. agri-food chain partners,” he said.
The E.U. food and feed chain partners urge the E.U. Parliament and Council to reject the commission’s proposal which amounts to renationalization and would reverse the economic achievements of the European Customs Union and the Single Market.
It is the principal political, administrative and legal responsibility of E.U. policy makers to defend and properly implement E.U. internal market and related legislation, the group said. With the renationalization of genetically modified authorizations and consequent restrictions on the free movement and use of products within the internal market, the commission has failed in its role and responsibility as “Guardian of the E.U. treaties,” it said.
