This analysis reveals the variety in positions among the MEPs and among EU Governments on top contention points within key agri-food files currently examined by the European Parliament and the Council.

This report highlights the amount of influence and the direction in which each MEP is pushing EU agri-food legislation in the current Parliamentary term. It also outlines the existing divergent visions within each political faction and, in some cases, among Governments. 

Legislation for plants produced by certain new genomic techniques

• Status: Legislative proposal presented by the Commission in July.
• Positioning of politicians

EU Parliament: Divergences on how the “new genomic techniques” (NGTs) should be regulated and whether some of them should fall within the scope of the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) legislation or not are expected to mark the debates in the EP.

• MEPs from left-wing forces are generally opposing an eventual deregulation of NGTs. . Different S&D members, and especially the Greens and the Left are the most vocal in opposing the deregulation of GMOs.
• Renew and even some S&D members (key MEP: Clara Aguilera) regard these new technologies as a potential solution for a sustainable transition in the agriculture sector, even though they are likely to stand for specific rules, such as the introduction of caps on pesticides.

The matrix below indicates how influential each MEP is when regulating NGTs , as well as the direction in which each MEP is pushing the legislation. Each dot in this chart is an MEP. Their position in the matrix is computed based on MEPs’ track record when taking positions on NGT regulations. The data covers the activities during the current Parliamentary term (since 2019). 

For more information regarding the positioning of all MEPs click here. To access this info you need a premium subscription to our platform. If you don’t have one yet, please contact us at [email protected].

EU Council: Different member states, particularly the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia, are likely to support easing the EU’s rules on NGTs . On the other hand, a group of member states led by Germany and Cyprus are likely to take on a more cautious approach.

For more information regarding member states positioning, please contact us at [email protected].

Revision of EU legislation on animal welfare

• Status: Legislative proposal by the Commission expected in the third quarter of 2023
• Positioning of politicians

EU Parliament: The vote tendency we captured in the matrix below shows that different MEPs from the largest political groups are expected to support standards on animal welfare as long as they do not put further burdens on farmers and producers. 

• Generally, EPP favors more flexible rules on animal welfare, having a stronger focus on the economy. However, some MEPs who have a different position than the group can be found within EPP (key MEP: Pietikäinen) too.
• A major split is expected among MEPs from the S&D and Renew groups. Within S&D, the German and French delegations are the most supportive of stricter regulations, while the Romanians and Spanish want more flexible rules on animal welfare. Regarding Renew, the Romanian delegation is likely to embrace a position which will limit burdens on economic operators in the agriculture sector.
• Greens and the Left are expected to push for very strict rules on animal welfare.

The matrix below indicates how influential each MEP is when regulating animal welfare, as well as the direction in which each MEP is pushing the legislation. Each dot in this chart is an MEP. Their position in the matrix is computed based on MEPs’ track record when taking positions on animal welfare rules in the agricultural sector. The data covers the activities during the current Parliamentary term (since 2019). 

For more information regarding the positioning of all MEPs click here. To access this info you need a premium subscription to our platform. If you don’t have one yet, please contact us at [email protected].

EU Council: Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden are expected to push for strengthening animal protection obligations, particularly those concerning animal transportation.

For more information regarding member states positioning, please contact us at [email protected].

Are you interested to know more about the decision-making process on key EU agri-food files? Please contact us at [email protected].

EU Matrix is an EU-focused research platform / think tank that combines expert insight and digital technology to provide factual and objective information on how the EU political machinery works. Our data helps at understanding where each political entity actually stands on hot topics when European debates take place and decisions are made. 

Upon request, EU Matrix can provide detailed assessments on the aforementioned legislative files and on many other topics with high stakes for interested parties. Find out more about EU Matrix here.