Dear friends,
How do you like your burger? Well done or rare, pulled pork or veggie, beef or beetroot? The European Parliament only likes burgers with lots of meat. This week, a majority on the right side of the plenary (along with some Socialists) voted for a plan to ban names like “burger” or “steak” for any plant-based products. Their reason? They want to “protect” customers. Because who hasn’t ever bought a seitan steak by accident and suffered from the consequences *irony off*
VEGGIE BURGER BAN HURTS START-UPS
It seems like a marginal thing, aimed at upsetting vegans and vegetarians – which the far-right doesn’t like anyway. A weird little food-war fought over our kitchen tables. But there is so much more behind it, and I’m proud of our MEP Anna who pointed it out in several statements and was all over media this week – worldwide! In fact, this decision could harm many innovators out there who are investing in the Future of Food, trying to develop tasty alternatives to meat.
It’s a fact that we have to reduce our meat consumption if we want to reduce our carbon footprint, and we can do that without burning down the rainforests to plant more soya. Many start-ups and even large companies are leading the way when it comes to alternative products, and many consumers are happy to explore them. The sales have been constantly going up. What the Conservatives are now trying is to destroy these business models. Forcing the industry to rebrand, rename, and invent new products instead of focusing on growth. What a setback.
According to the Conservatives, even lab-grown meat from cell cultures – which is actual meat and could become a gamechanger in sustainable nutrition – wouldn’t be allowed to be called that anymore. Because, you know, not all meat is created equal. Yeah, sure.
CONSERVATIVES AGAINST COMMISSION
Sadly, this is not the only topic where the Socialists have been bootlicking the Conservatives lately. The whole talk of “protecting our farmers” has led to a much more dangerous political situation. Both parties, in a joint effort, are currently threatening to torpedo the next EU budget which has been proposed by the EU Commission. Conservatives and Socialists want to shoot down the main pillar which defines how EU funds are distributed to farmers and regions. Right now, this system is funding old dinosaurs and lacking flexibility for new ideas. That’s exactly why the Commission proposed a reform. But some politicians just don’t want anything to change, ever.
If they topple this pillar, the whole budget would fall apart. We would need months and years of new negotiations. Negotiations that the Parliament would not be part of – they would have to wait for a compromise. Now if there was a playbook how to weaken Parliament, this would be it. The Conservatives follow through regardless, shooting at their own Commission President – and don’t care if they’re shooting themselves in the foot in the process. It’s a new showdown in the personal feud between Ursula von der Leyen and EPP-leader Manfred Weber. It’s politics as theater, and taxpayers have to pay for the tickets.
This is also yet another warning to Ursula von der Leyen: Her own majority in Parliament is crumbling, because the Conservatives really cannot be trusted anymore. So the Commission President is now under attack from all sides.
This includes the far-right and the far-left, who have both kicked off yet new attempts to impeach Ursula von der Leyen (both of them failed, of course). Let me be clear: You really don’t have to agree with von der Leyen, you don’t have to agree with her budget plans and we should criticize her. But these motions of censure get boring. It’s all just show, but it delays all political work even further and draws a lot of attention.
Let’s be constructive, work on better ideas and suggest good alternatives – instead of making Parliament a place paralyzed by power play.
Yours,
Damian
