Nutritional labeling, fisheries and CAP at the heart of the bilateral
Minister Stefano Patuanelli received last Friday the Minister of Rural Development and Food of Greece, Spilios Livanos. The meeting focused on joint actions to be undertaken at European level on front-of-pack nutrition labeling and the new CAP.
With regard to the Nutriscore issue, the two Ministers confirmed their opposition to the adoption of all nutritional labeling models characterized by deficient, incorrect or even misleading indications for consumers and their health, as well as discriminatory indications for the agri-food trade. They also stressed the need for closer coordination between Italy and Greece at a European level to support a labeling system based on rigorous scientific evaluation, which enhances the principles of the Mediterranean Diet and protects excellent products.
Livanos illustrated to Patuanelli the document drawn up by some Greek associations, including the Chamber of Commerce, which hopes for effective coordination and a more intense and structured collaboration with the Italian counterparts in order to promote scientific studies and research on the topic of nutrition, illustrated on the front pack labeling. In addition, he expressed a willingness to explore evidence-based alternatives that provide more accurate and realistic information to consumers. In this regard, his proposal for joint meetings between the national experts involved in this issue was well received by Minister Patuanelli.
Minister Patuanelli reiterated to his Greek counterpart that "the Government is aware of the risks that the introduction of Nutriscore can entail for our food supply chain and is committed in every location to obtain a clear revision of the methodology on which the Nutriscore system is based. , towards a complete and objective system, like the one proposed by Italy: the NutrInform Battery ".
The Ministers also discussed the issue of EU cooperation with third countries in the fisheries sector, reaffirming their common positions and the need to effectively protect the rights and interests of Greek and Italian fishermen as well as the vitality of fish stocks according to the provisions of the common fisheries policy.
Minister Livanos expressed his concern about systematic illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices by vessels flying the Turkish flag in Greek territorial waters which undermine the viability of fish stocks and the collective objectives of the common policy fishing. The problem is compounded by the fact that third country fishing vessels do not comply with the regulations, standards and restrictions applied to EU fishing vessels. Furthermore, such practices are contrary to the principles of good neighborly relations, which are fundamental for the EU's relations with other countries. Minister Patuanelli noted that Italy is facing similar problems with third countries and the two ministers therefore reconfirmed that this is a European problem and a matter of common interest of the EU, which requires European action and specific measures to be part of the European Commission regarding articles 25, 26, 27 and 33 of Regulation 1005/2008 in order to effectively implement the common fisheries policy.
With regard to the new EU agricultural policy, Italy and Greece are committed to defining national strategic plans to implement the choices made at European level. The Ministers also shared information on the state of development of the plans, as well as on the difficulties and opportunities facing agri-food companies. For Patuanelli and Livanos it is necessary to guarantee the reduction of the environmental impact by the agricultural sector and support the role of ecosystem protection played by farmers, foresters and breeders.
Minister Patuanelli then underlined that "the CAP, the Green New Deal, the EU Next Generation and the tools made available by the EU must create system actions to integrate biodiversity conservation and social and economic development, to the benefit of businesses and consumers ".
In this context, Minister Livanos made specific reference to Greece's commitment to create, by 2030, protected areas on 30% of territorial waters for fishing and 10% as an area in which fishing is excluded, with the objective of protecting fish stocks from overfishing.
Finally, Ministers Patuanelli and Livanos agreed to work closely together to further strengthen bilateral economic relations, placing the agri-food sector at the center of bilateral cooperation.