Grayling insights on the 2014-2019 EP ENVI Committee Familiar faces return under new leadership: who’s who in the new ENVI Committee Following the European Parliament elections of May 2014, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) will move forward under new leadership and with some new membership, although many familiar faces have returned. The Grayling EU Food Team explains the significance of the changes and their impact on the agro-food sector in the EU. Following rumours that the Chairmanship of balanced MEPs including Esther de Lange the ENVI Committee would fall to Socialist (EPP, Netherlands), who will be focusing MEP Linda McAvan (S&D, UK), the post has more on economic issues in the next been taken up by Giovanni la Via (EPP, mandate. Italy) of the European People’s Party. There is also a number of eurosceptic MEPs who will seat in the committee and it While the ENVI Committee in the remains to be seen if they will try to hinder Parliament’s last mandate grew agitated on the decision process or if their involvement occasion, flexing its muscles and will be limited. challenging Commission proposals for political rather than scientific reasons, La Via is likely to be more understanding of the industry perspective. With several on-going dossiers, the ENVI committee is looking at a very busy mandate ahead and the next five years will be critical for the future of some key dossiers such as nutrient profiles, GMOs and the controversial Novel Foods Regulation. The Committee has witnessed the departure of some vocal critics of the food industry including Carl Schlyter (Greens, Giovanni La Via: Chair of the ENVI Committee at the Sweden) and Asa Westlund (S&D, Sweden), European Parliament - © European Parliament 2014 but it has also lost some well-informed and 2 Vice-Chairs The new leadership under the European The Vice-Chairmanship of the ENVI People’s Party could indicate a more Committee has changed quite radically with balanced and rational ENVI Committee. a majority of socialists MEPs as vice-chairs, probably in a view to balance the EPP chair. The return of many familiar faces indicates a certain level of consistency and familiarity The three socialists vice-chairs have already with the dossiers, which is particularly experience in the ENVI committee while the relevant given that this Committee will be fourth vice-chair, a green MEP, is new to faced with two proposals that had failed the European Parliament. under previous mandates: the Nutrient Profiles proposal and the Novel Foods Committee Membership proposal. As regards the new MEPs, the The number of Committee members next months will be critical to identify those remains rather stable, from 68 to 69 who will take interest in food policy areas. members. While the EPP and Socialists Given that they are new to the committee, share the majority of seats in the new there is an opportunity to educate them on Committee, the remaining political groups food issues and contribute to shaping their are fairly evenly represented. agenda. ENVI can be considered one of the It remains to be seen what political Parliament’s large-sized Committees. It is alliances will develop between the various even the second largest after Foreign smaller groups, and how this will shape the Affairs, the largest Committee with 71 balance of the Committee and the members. development of future legislation in the next five years. What do these developments mean? ENVI Committee: Key figures Grayling EU Food Team ¬ #EUFoodGrayling - [email protected] 3 ENVI New Chairman – Who is Giovanni La Via? Elected for a two and a half year mandate, a Committee Chair presides over all Committee meetings and undertakes and coordinates its policy investigations. The Chair’s political affiliation, nationality and personal interest areas can have a considerably impact on the work of the committee as a whole. He/she also establishes the priorities of the Committee agenda in the Conference of Committee Chairs, where parliamentarians aim to ensure cohesion and consistency between the policy initiatives of all Committees. Giovanni La Via – EPP, Italy Giovanni La Via is an Italian MEP, member of the European People’s Party, and joined the European Parliament in 2009. In the last legislature, he was a member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee and the Budgets Committee of the Parliament, and is therefore a new member of ENVI. Mr La Via has expertise in agricultural and food policies. He was rapporteur on the proposal on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy, as well as on the Council position on the EU’s budget for the year 2013. He has also been active on a range of food dossiers including the review of the Specialised Nutrition Rules in the EU (the so-called PARNUTS) review. Since his entry in the European Parliament, Mr La Via has been very active, hence building a good reputation among his colleagues. He has been particularly active in agricultural issues, giving opinions on the funding of agriculture and fishery, and he said in the press that he now intends to give priority to food safety issues and consumers’ protection. Son of a farmer, Mr La Via holds a degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Catania, Italy, and worked there as an associate Professor in agricultural policy until 2006. Grayling EU Food Team ¬ #EUFoodGrayling - [email protected] 4 ENVI Vice-Chairs – An Overview Committee Vice-Chairs act as replacements for the Committee Chair in the event that he/she is unable to attend. Benedek Jávor, Greens, Hungary Former Member of the Hungarian National Assembly, Mr Jávor is a new Member of the European Parliament. He has experience in environment and energy, and served as chairman of the Committee on Sustainable Development of Hungary’s National Assembly between 2010 and 2013. Mr Jávor holds a degree and a PhD in biology from the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. Daciana Sarbu, S&D, Romania Former Member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies from 2004, Daciana Sarbu has been an MEP and a member of the ENVI Committee since the accession of Romania to the EU on 1 January 2007. She has expertise on food and agriculture issues and was rapporteur on the report on recognition of agriculture as a strategic sector in the context of food security. More importantly, she is very active on issues regarding advertising and marketing of infant foods. Ms Sarbu also has an interest in environment issues and was rapporteur for an opinion on the proposal on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020. Prior to become a politician, she was a lawyer and holds a Master's Degree in Commercial law from the West University of Timişoara, Romania. Pavel Poc, S&D, Czech Republic Pavel Poc has been an MEP and member of the ENVI Committee since 2009, and has expertise in environmental and health issues. He was rapporteur on the proposal on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. Among other written declarations on public health, Mr Poc also presented declarations in favour of the labelling of meat and poultry products from ritually slaughtered animals. Grayling EU Food Team ¬ #EUFoodGrayling - [email protected] 5 Prior to politics, Mr Poc held different positions in scientific bodies, local authorities and businesses. He holds a degree in general biology, as well as a degree in environmental law from the Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. Gilles Pargneaux, S&D, France A French national, Gilles Pargneaux has been an MEP and member of the ENVI Committee since 2009. Although he has expertise in health issues, he has taken an interest in environmental and food issues and was shadow rapporteur on the 2013 report on the food crisis, fraud in the food chain and the control thereof. Lawyer by profession, Mr Pargneaux has been involved in politics since he was 17 and held several political positions at the local level. ENVI Coordinators A coordinator is an MEP responsible for co-ordinating the work and preparing the position of a political party. Political Groups appoint one coordinator per Committee. Gerben- Peter Germany Jan Netherlands Liese Gerbrandy Matthias Julie Germany UK Groote Girling Bas Netherlands Eickhout Where will political focus lie? The previous ENVI Committee was relatively active in all areas of food policy and, as a result, succeeded in moving forward on a number of Commission proposals. As a result there are relatively few on-going dossiers but the ENVI committee will soon have to start discussions on key proposals that the Commission published recently or is due to publish soon. Grayling EU Food Team ¬ #EUFoodGrayling - [email protected] 6 Key dossiers for the next 5 years NUTRITION Nutrient Profiles: The establishment of nutrient profiles by the European Commission is an obligation from the Health claims Regulation No 1924/2006. The subject is very controversial within the Commission and Member States and reaching an agreement has proved difficult. However since this is a legal obligation we can expect the ENVI committee will be asked to discuss a proposal in the next five years. FOOD SAFETY Novel Foods Regulation: The European Commission submitted a proposal for a centralised procedure for the approval of novel foods in the EU in December 2013. If adopted, a harmonised procedure would significantly shorten and simplify the procedure, in addition to reducing costs. This will be a key dossier for the ENVI committee in the next months. GMOs: In March, the Council has finally reached an agreement on an European procedure for the approval of GM crops cultivation.