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A large share of tourism in the European Union takes place in rural areas. However, not all tourism in rural areas is necessarily considered to constitute rural tourism. Rural tourism, whose origins lie in agritourism and farm stays, is typically built on experiences that are specific to the countryside, often includes physical activities connected with nature, is usually small in scale and involves a large number of small private businesses. It can bring numerous benefits to local communities, in ...

The European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement on updated rules on the labelling of organic pet food, which will align them with the rules on the labelling of organic food for human consumption. For pet food to carry the EU organic logo, 95 % of all its agricultural ingredients will have to be organic. The update was necessary as the current regulation on organic labelling allows feed to be labelled as organic only if all the agricultural ingredients come from organic ...

The EU is largely self-sufficient in agricultural products, thanks to its common agricultural policy (CAP). However, the EU livestock sector is critically dependent on imports of plant-based proteins for animal feed, especially soybeans, from Argentina, Brazil and the United States (US). The links between protein imports and deforestation, on the one hand, and the substantial greenhouse emissions (GHG) from animal farming, on the other, are also lending greater prominence to the use of plant-based ...

The protection of animals at the time of slaughter is regulated at EU level by Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009. The regulation states that all animals should be stunned prior to having their throats cut. However, in order to ensure that some religious communities can consume meat in accordance with their precepts, and on the basis of the fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, a possible derogation ...

Freshwater is a vital yet scarce resource that is under increasing threat. Progress towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) 6 (ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all) is off track globally, and many of its targets will not be reached by 2030. Access to freshwater and sanitation is alarmingly challenged in several African and Asian regions. While for the most part the European Union (EU) has abundant freshwater compared to other parts ...

Marketing standards established by the 'breakfast directives' are more than 20 years old. Over time, food markets have evolved substantially, driven by innovation and changes in consumer demand and expectations. Taking this shift into account, on 21 April 2023 the European Commission proposed to update some of the rules governing a set of directives on food products – the 'breakfast' directives – including the marketing standards they introduced. The revision also echoes key messages of the EU's ...

This briefing provides a pre-legislative synthesis of the positions of national, regional and local governmental organisations on the European Commission's forthcoming proposal on sustainable food systems. It forms part of an EPRS series offering a summary of the pre-legislative state of play and advance consultation on a range of key European Commission priorities during its 5-year term in office. It seeks to present the current state of affairs, examine how existing policy is working on the ground ...

The European Union is the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of wine. It accounts for half of the world's production, with three quarters of EU wine produced in Spain, France and Italy. The EU had 2.2 million vineyard holdings in 2020, varying in size from an average of 0.2 hectares in Romania to 10.5 hectares in France. The EU also accounted for 48 % of global wine consumption in 2021, with the largest overall consumption recorded in France, Italy and Germany. Globally, only the United ...

Council Directive 92/43/EEC (the Habitats Directive) was adopted in 1992 with the aim of protecting over a thousand animal species and preventing 230 habitat types from disappearing. Human activities in recent decades have caused large carnivore numbers to decline significantly, with complete disappearance in some areas. The recovery and return of these carnivores was one of the targets of the EU Habitats Directive; but this objective has not been without controversy, especially where economic activities ...

In June 2023, trilogue negotiations between Parliament and the Council started on the Commission's proposal for a regulation on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products. The proposal, put forward on 31 March 2022, would bring together in a single legal document the provisions on the procedures for registering geographical indications (GIs) for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products that are currently spread over three regulations. It would increase the powers ...