COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Meetings Tuesday, 29 September 2026

● Συμβούλιο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης   30/09/2026 10:53 | Δελτίο τύπου | Δικαστήριο της ΕΕ: Οι αντιπρόσωποι των κρατών μελών διορίζουν έναν δικαστή στο Δικαστήριο και δύο δικαστές στο Γενικό Δικαστήριο   Οι αντιπρόσωποι των κυβερνήσεων των κρατών μελών διόρισαν σήμερα έναν δικαστή στο Δικαστήριο και δύο δικαστές στο Γενικό Δικαστήριο. Πρώτον, ο κ. Niels Fenger (Δανία) διορίστηκε εκ νέου δικαστής στο Δικαστήριο για θητεία από τις 7 Οκτωβρίου 2027 έως τις 6 Οκτωβρίου 2033. Ο διορισμός αυτός αποτελεί μέρος της μερικής ανανέωσης της σύνθεσης του Δικαστηρίου, καθώς η θητεία 14 δικαστών και έξι γενικών εισαγγελέων λήγει στις 6 Οκτωβρίου 2027. Δεύτερον, οι διορισμοί στο Γενικό Δικαστήριο εντάσσονται στο πλαίσιο της μερικής ανανέωσης της σύνθεσής του, δεδομένου ότι στις 31 Αυγούστου 2025 έληξε η θητεία 26 δικαστών. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, η κα Andria Buhagiar (Μάλτα) και ο κ. Ivan Stoynev (Βουλγαρία) διορίστηκαν δικαστές στο Γενικό Δικαστήριο για πρώτη θητεία. Οι διορισμοί αυτοί αφορούν θητεία λήγουσα στις 31 Αυγούστου 2031. Οι δύο σχετικές αποφάσεις θα τεθούν σε ισχύ την ημερομηνία της δημοσίευσής τους στην Επίσημη Εφημερίδα της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης. Γενικές πληροφορίες Το Δικαστήριο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης περιλαμβάνει δύο δικαιοδοτικά όργανα: το Δικαστήριο και το Γενικό Δικαστήριο. Οι δικαστές του Δικαστηρίου και του Γενικού Δικαστηρίου διορίζονται με κοινή συμφωνία των κυβερνήσεων των κρατών μελών κατόπιν διαβούλευσης με αρμόδια επιτροπή που γνωμοδοτεί σχετικά με την επάρκεια των υποψηφίων για την άσκηση των συγκεκριμένων καθηκόντων. Επιλέγονται μεταξύ προσωπικοτήτων που παρέχουν πλήρη εχέγγυα ανεξαρτησίας. Προκειμένου να διοριστούν στο Δικαστήριο, οι υποψήφιοι πρέπει να διαθέτουν τα προσόντα που απαιτούνται στις χώρες τους για διορισμό στα ανώτατα δικαστικά αξιώματα ή να είναι νομικοί εγνωσμένου κύρους. Προκειμένου να διοριστούν στο Γενικό Δικαστήριο, οι υποψήφιοι πρέπει να έχουν την απαιτούμενη ικανότητα για διορισμό στα ανώτατα δικαστικά αξιώματα.   Επισκεφτείτε τον ιστοχώρο ● General Secretariat of the Council   New books added to the Council Library collection - September 2026   Discover our selection of books recently added to the Council Library collection.   Read full post • Council of the EU ­ 29/09/2025 | MEETINGS  Background brief - Justice and Home Affairs Council of 1-2 October 2026 Background brief - Justice and Home Affairs Council of 1-2 October 2026 Visit the website ● Council of the EU

29/09/2026 16:06 | Press release | MFF 2028-2034: Council agrees negotiating position on future EU support for the fisheries sector   The Council today reached a partial negotiating position on a regulation setting out the conditions for the EU’s support for the common fisheries policy (CFP), the EU's maritime and aquaculture policies, and the European ocean pact for the 2028-2034 period. The agreement sets out the Council’s position on the future framework for EU financial support to those policies and complements the provisions of the national and regional partnership plans (NRPP) regulation. Financial and horizontal issues will be taken up in the context of overarching legislative proposals when finalising the negotiating position. These are currently being discussed as part of the negotiations on the overall multiannual financial framework (MFF) covering the period 2028 to 2034. “Today’s agreement gives us a solid basis for shaping the future of EU support to our fisheries sector. We need to give our fishermen and women the tools to modernise and adapt to the challenges ahead, including the energy transition. We need to do so while ensuring that public funding contributes to sustainable fisheries and aquaculture sectors and recognises our international commitments.” — Martin Heydon - Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine of Ireland Main elements Under the proposed framework for the next MFF, EU support for the fisheries and aquaculture sector would be implemented mainly through national and regional partnership plans (NRPPs). The new architecture would replace a number of existing funds, programmes and regulations, including the current European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), with a single funding toolbox. The aim is to simplify and streamline EU funding, provide greater flexibility to member states and strengthen synergies between different policy areas. The regulation complements the national and regional partnership plans (NRPP) regulation, which sets out rules for programming, implementation, governance and monitoring, as well as the financial framework for the interventions related to the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Therefore, the Council position seeks to ensure consistency with the NRPP regulation and other regulations relevant for the future Union support. The Council’s position aims to provide a good balance between supporting the competitiveness, modernisation and resilience of the EU fisheries sector, while ensuring the sustainability of fish stocks and compliance with the EU’s international obligations. Enabling fleet modernisation while safeguarding sustainable fisheries The Council’s position allows for EU support for fleet modernisation, including investments in existing and new vessels. This will help the sector’s energy transition, improve working conditions aboard vessels, and facilitate generational renewal. At the same time, the Council included safeguards to ensure that EU funding does not increase pressure on fish stocks. In the case of certain investments in fishing vessels and vessel purchases, the provisions ensure that no additional fishing capacity is introduced without first withdrawing existing fishing capacity, with special rules for small-scale coastal fishing. Aligning EU fisheries funding with international subsidy rules The Council’s amendments also ensure that the future EU framework reflects the WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies, binding on the EU since September 2025. This is particularly relevant given the EU’s role in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing globally. An article on control and data collection was added, to reinforce the importance of both these aspects for the sustainable management of fisheries. Next steps The negotiating mandate approved today is the basis for the Council's presidency to start negotiations with the European Parliament. The overall budget for the programmes for the 2028-2034 period will depend on the final agreement on the next MFF as a whole. Background On 16 July 2025 the Commission presented its proposal for a regulation establishing the conditions for implementing EU support for the common fisheries policy, the European ocean pact and the EU’s maritime and aquaculture policy as part of the national and regional partnership fund for 2028-2034. Under the proposed framework for the next MFF, EU support for the fisheries sector would be implemented mainly through national and regional partnership plans (NRPPs) and the EU Facility. EU support under the proposed framework would contribute to the following overarching objectives: generational renewal in fisheries and aquaculture energy transition and decarbonisation of the sector sustainable fisheries and aquaculture modernisation and innovation resilience of coastal communities, including small-scale coastal fisheries development of the sustainable blue economy. Commission proposal Watch the public session The EU's long-term budget for 2028–2034 (background information) Common fisheries policy and its goals (background information)   Visit the website

● Council of the EU   29/09/2026 17:36 | Meetings | Main results - Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 28-29 September 2026   The Council today reached a partial negotiating mandate on the regulation setting out the post-2027 EU support for the fisheries sector. Among other topics, ministers also discussed the proposal for a regulation amending the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.   View meeting page   ● Council of the EU   30/09/2026 09:55 | Press release | Council agrees negotiating stance to simplify and streamline food and feed safety requirements   The Council today set its position on the remaining part of the ‘Omnibus X’ simplification package. The package aims to reduce unnecessary administrative costs and burdens, while maintaining the EU’s very high standards for food and feed safety, and for the protection of human and animal health and environmental protection. In practice, the proposal simplifies rules and procedures identified as particularly burdensome by stakeholders and authorities across EU legislation, from plant protection products and biocidal products, to feed, official controls and animal health and welfare. Today’s negotiating mandate notably covers the regulation on maximum residue levels, the regulation on plant protection products, as well as the biocidal products regulation, among others. The mandate approved today follows the adoption on 11 May 2026 of a regulation extending data protection periods regarding biocides, and the approval, on 27 May 2026, of the Council’s negotiating position on updated rules for the sustainable use of pesticides.  “Today, the Council has taken another step forward to deliver on the food and feed safety simplification package. This is what simplification should deliver: a more competitive and resilient European agrifood sector, with less red tape and no compromise on food safety or environmental protection. This package is a key deliverable under the ‘One Europe One Market’ Roadmap. The Presidency is fully committed to working in pursuit of the ambitious deadline for agreement with the European Parliament by the end of the year.” — Thomas Byrne – Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence “Europe’s farmers and agrifood businesses need greater predictability and fewer unnecessary burdens so they can invest, innovate and compete in the global market, while maintaining the high health and environmental standards that underpin the trust of our citizens. Today’s agreement in Council is an important step towards easing the administrative burden for farmers and for the agrifood sector across the EU.” — Martin Heydon – Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Main amendments introduced by the Council The presidency has treated the ‘Omnibus X’ simplification package with utmost priority. Member states share this sense of urgency and have therefore preserved the main thrust of the Commission proposals. Regulation on maximum residue levels (MRLs) A maximum residue level (MRL) is the highest level of pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food or feed of plant and animal origin. The proposed amendment to the MRL regulation concerns residues in imported food or feed of certain pesticides that can no longer be used in the EU because of their particularly hazardous nature. Due to their intrinsic properties, the active substances contained in those pesticides could, for example, cause cancer, be toxic for reproduction or affect the endocrine system, or have long-term negative effects on the environment. The ultimate purpose is to no longer allow imports of products containing such pesticide residues and thereby maintain a high level of protection of human health and the environment, while also protecting the EU’s competitiveness. In this respect, the Council mandate maintains the principle of lowering existing MRLs to technical zero for particularly hazardous substances following a prior impact assessment as proposed by the Commission. The text of the mandate also broadens the scope of substances covered, not only to substances with certain particularly hazardous properties, but also to substances whose specific conditions of use lead to unacceptable risks to honeybees or groundwater. As originally proposed by the Commission, for products which were compliant with the previous MRLs (before their lowering), the Council mandate also maintains the possibility of setting out transitional provisions to allow that such products can continue to be placed on the market for a certain period of time, to avoid food waste. Regulation on plant protection products (PPPs) This regulation concerns the placing on the market of plant protection products, setting how PPPs are authorised in the EU. To foster innovation and promote the development of sustainable alternatives to conventional PPPs for agriculture, the mandate foresees that biocontrol substances will benefit from a fast-track procedure, as they will be given priority for the assessment prior to their approval. At the same time, low-risk active substances and the PPPs containing them will be granted unlimited approvals and authorisations. Moreover, for other substances and PPPs containing them, the approval periods will be extended to 15 years for the first approval and to 25 years for subsequent approvals, with some exceptions. The duration of the protection of PPPs tests and study reports will be extended from 10 to 13 years for the first authorisation of regular PPPs and from 13 to 15 years for low-risk PPPs. These tests and study reports will be uploaded in a newly created EU-level database. To counterbalance the longer approval periods, the text introduces stronger safeguards, notably through a periodic review of the scientific literature and available monitoring data by the European Food Safety Authority and a more cautious treatment of substances classified as 'carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction, category 2'. Biocidal products regulation Biocidal products are used to protect humans, animals, materials or articles against harmful organisms like pests or bacteria, by the action of the active substances contained in the biocidal product. The Council mandate maintains the currently applicable principle of approvals for active substances with an expiration date, albeit with a prolonged approval period, notably of 15 years for first approvals and 25 years for subsequent renewals. This is deemed as suitable and sufficient to address the structural delays in the review programme of active substances. Feed additives regulation The Commission proposal introduces several targeted simplification measures for feed additives. These include removing the systematic renewal requirement for most authorised additives, streamlining procedures for modifications to existing authorisations and enabling digital labelling for certain information. Genetically modified food and feed regulation The Council mandate builds on the Commission's intention to clarify that fermentation products produced using genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs) are not food or feed ‘produced from GMOs’, while also introducing amendments aimed at ensuring a high level of protection of human and animal health, as well as the environment. Among these measures is the development of Commission guidance on good manufacturing practices aimed at minimising the presence of residual GMM material in the relevant food or feed products. Next steps The Council presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament once the latter adopts its position, with a view to reaching a speedy provisional agreement on the overall ‘Omnibus X’ package by the end of 2026. Background In October 2024, the European Council called on all EU institutions, member states and stakeholders, as a matter of priority, to take work forward, notably in response to the challenges identified in the reports by Enrico Letta (‘Much more than a market’) and Mario Draghi (‘The future of European competitiveness’). Since February 2025, the Commission has put forward twelve ‘Omnibus’ packages aiming to simplify existing legislation, including a tenth Omnibus on food and feed safety in December 2025. The 'One Europe, One Market' roadmap signed by the presidents of the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the Commission on 24 April includes the objective of concluding work on most simplification packages by the end of 2026. Council agrees position to simplify and strengthen food and feed safety requirement, Council press release, 27 May 2026 Food and feed safety: Council adopts new law to streamline rules on biocides, Council press release, 11 May 2026 Regulation on simplification and strengthening of food and food safety requirements – EU Law Tracker (timeline) Directive on simplification and strengthening of food and food safety requirements – EU Law Tracker (timeline) Simplification of EU rules (background information)   Visit the website