European Commission 23 April 2024, REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Implementing the prohibition of unfair trading practices to strengthen the position of farmers and operators in the agricultural and food supply chain – State of play

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This European Commission Report (COM(2024) 176 final), issued pursuant to Article 12 of Directive (EU) 2019/633 on unfair trading practices (UTPs) in business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain, provides a comprehensive overview of the state of transposition and implementation across all 27 Member States, all of which completed transposition by December 2022. The Report examines Member States' transposition choices regarding scope of application, prohibited UTPs (distinguishing between unconditional 'black list' and conditional 'grey list' prohibitions), enforcement mechanisms, and stricter national rules permitted under Article 9, noting that a majority of Member States have adopted protections exceeding the Directive's minimum standards. The Commission identifies cross-border enforcement as a significant operational challenge and signals the potential need for new legislative rules in that area, while confirming that a formal evaluation of the Directive is scheduled for completion by 1 November 2025.AI