European Commission 1 December 2025, COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Evaluation of the Directive (EU) 2019/633 on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Evaluation of the Unfair Trading Practices Directive

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This Commission Staff Working Document presents the findings of the first interim evaluation of Directive (EU) 2019/633 on unfair trading practices (UTPs) in business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain, conducted pursuant to Article 12 of the Directive, covering the period from the Directive's entry into force in April 2019 through March 2025. The evaluation assesses the Directive's effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and EU added value, finding that while the Directive has contributed to a positive trend in reducing UTPs and promoting a fairer business culture, its full potential has not yet been realised due to the short implementation period, heterogeneous national transposition choices, limited enforcement activity in several Member States, persistent 'fear factor' among complainants, and shortcomings in cross-border enforcement cooperation among national enforcement authorities. The evaluation concludes that the Directive's minimum harmonisation framework has generated EU added value by establishing a common baseline of supplier protection across all Member States, that costs are broadly proportionate to benefits particularly for operators in the farming stage, and that no fundamental new needs have emerged requiring substantial revision of the Directive's provisions.AI