Quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

The Commission presented a report on the exercise of the power to adopt delegated acts conferred on the Commission pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 is the basic act for EU Quality schemes on agricultural products and foodstuffs. It improved and updated the framework for the protection and promotion of quality agricultural products.

Pursuant to that provision, the power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission for a period of five years from 3 January 2013. The delegation of power is tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period. 

The Commission has used that power with restraint, by adopting two delegated regulations:

• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 of 18 December 2013 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the establishment of the Union symbols for protected designations of origin, protected geographical indications and traditional specialities guaranteed and with regard to certain rules on sourcing, certain procedural rules and certain additional transitional rules;
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 665/2014 of 11 March 2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to conditions of use of the optional quality term ‘mountain product’.

Following their adoption, the two regulations were subsequently notified to the European Parliament and the Council in order to allow these institutions to express their objections within a period of two months from the notification of the act.

Neither the European Parliament nor the Council raised any objection to the two delegated regulations. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 entered into force on 22 June 2014 and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 665/2014 entered into force on 26 June 2014.

The application and interpretation of the two delegated regulations in question did not create any difficulties during the three years of application. However, the factual, legal and economic context relating to it is constantly evolving. Therefore, the Commission considers it desirable to extend the delegation of powers for a period of five years.

At present, the Commission does not envisage any further use of the power conferring on the Commission the power to adopt delegated acts.