The Hague, 12 May 2017

Two years after her first visit in June 2015, Commissioner Věra Jourová, the Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, and a high-level delegation from the Commission, returned to Eurojust to meet with the College Presidency and the College of National Members for insight into its operational work, specifically in the areas of terrorism, cybercrime, illegal immigrant smuggling and cooperation with third States, and to meet with staff members.

Commissioner Jourová set out her priorities in the field of criminal law, including the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). She has received positive feedback from Member States on the work of Eurojust. Two strong pillars, Eurojust and the EPPO, working together, is the Commission’s goal. The presentations given by the President and National Members illustrated the coordinating role of Eurojust in the recent terrorism cases and in some large and complex cybercrime cases and provided insight into how Eurojust cooperates with specialised practitioners’ networks, Europol and third States. One of the Liaison Prosecutors hosted at Eurojust explained what their presence at Eurojust entails, including casework and participation in practitioners’ network meetings. Two milestones in 2017 are the move to the new Eurojust premises and the reorganisation of the Administration to ensure day-to-day support to operational work.

Commissioner Jourova said, ‘I am happy to visit Eurojust today. Its role in guaranteeing smooth and efficient judicial cooperation in criminal matters is crucial for Europe’s security. I praise Eurojust for achieving high marks in the three ‘r’s: reputation, respect and results. With the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Eurojust will become an even more important partner in the fight against terrorist threats or other crimes such as drug and human trafficking.’

President Coninsx said, ‘Cross-border cooperation, speed and trust are essential. Eurojust is a bridge-maker among Member States, practitioners’ networks, JHA agencies and third States in the fight against serious and organised cross-border crime and terrorism. We were delighted to meet with Commissioner Jourová to discuss our operational work in supporting and coordinating cases in a timely and result-driven manner.’

Photo: © Eurojust

Note to readers: Due to maintenance in preparation for the move to the new Eurojust premises, the Eurojust website will not be available on 13 and 14 May 2017. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Some 88 million tonnes of food are wasted in the EU every year, equivalent to 173 kilos per person. Not only is this a waste or resources, it also contributes to climate change. Parliament is working on new measures to cut food waste in the EU by 50%. Check out our infographic to find out which sectors and countries waste the most food and read what is being done at EU level and what you can do yourself.

Food is lost and wasted along the whole supply chain from farms to processing and manufacturing to shops, restaurants and at home. However most of the food in the EU is wasted by households with 53% and processing with 19%.

Consumers are often unaware of the issue or its causes. According to a Eurobarometer survey,  date markings on food products is poorly understood, even though nearly six out 10 Europeans say they always check “best before” and “use by” labels.

Why food waste is a problem

Food waste does not only mean that valuable and often scarce resources such as water, soil, and energy are being lost, it also contributes to climate change. According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), food waste has a global carbon footprint of about 8% of all global greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans. For every kilo of food produced, 4.5 kilos of CO2 are released into the atmosphere.

There is also the ethical aspect: FAO says about 793 million people in the world are malnourished. According to Eurostat, 55 million people (9.6% of the EU’s population), were unable to afford a quality meal every second day in 2014,.

What Parliament is doing

On Monday 15 May, MEPs will debate a report by Croatian S&D member Biljana Borzan, which proposes a set of measures to reduce food waste in the EU by 50% by 2030. This objective was already set out in the waste legislation package  adopted in March.

“The European Union, as one of the richest and most prosperous communities in the world, has a moral and political obligation to reduce huge quantities of food wasted every year,” said Borzan before the committee vote in April.

The report also includes several proposals to reduce food waste such as facilitating food donations.  The report calls on the European Commission to propose a change in the current VAT directive to explicitly authorise tax exemptions for food donations. Donations reduce food waste while helping people in need at the same time.

In addition the report lists solutions to end the confusion about “best before” and “use by” labelling on food products.

The report by Borzan will be debated on Monday 15 May and voted on the following day. Follow the debate live online.

We thank all participants of the Single European Railway Area (SERA) Regional Conference Baltic Nordic on 10 May in Helsinki for their interest and their contributions.

 
The conference series will reach a conclusion at the
SERA Convention
on 20 June in Brussels.

We thank all participants of the Single European Railway Area (SERA) Regional Conference Baltic Nordic on 10 May in Helsinki for their interest and their contributions.

 
The conference series will reach a conclusion at the
SERA Convention
on 20 June in Brussels.