Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001685/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Wouter Beke (PPE)
As of 1 January 2027, only the French environmental certification HVE3 (High Environmental Value level 3) will be accepted under the French EGalim law for the supply of agricultural products to the French market. Under EGalim, collective catering in France must use at least 50 % sustainable products, including 20 % organic. The HVE certification system (level 2 = CE2; level 3 = HVE3) defines what is considered sustainable. Non-French producers can participate in level 2 through equivalence procedures. Belgian exporters, for instance, can comply with EGalim via Vegaplan-FR certification, which is equivalent to CE2. However, from 2027 onwards, only HVE3 certification (or organic, Label Rouge, etc.) will be accepted, and it has no equivalency procedure. This means that non-French products can no longer be used for collective catering, which raises serious concerns about the principle of the European single market.
- 1.Does the Commission consider this law to be in line with the principles of the European free movement of goods and the spirit of the European single market?
- 2.Does the Commission plan to engage with the French authorities to discuss this law and to request that they develop an equivalence procedure for HVE3 for non-French farmers?
Submitted: 28.4.2025