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Nearly half of the honey imported into the European Union is suspected of being fake, according to an EU probe.

The research, spearheaded by the European Commissions Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), revealed the massive fraud and that many may be buying counterfeit honey labelled as authentic.

According to European Commission investigations, 320 samples were tested and 147 (46%) of collected samples of honey imports are suspected of being adulterated with syrups and therefore in non-compliance with the requirements of the EU Honey Directive. The honey is suspected to have been cut with sugar syrups made from rice, wheat or sugar beet.

Most fake honey is brought from Turkey (93%) andChina (74%).

All the 10 honeys entered via the United Kingdom failed the tests and were marked non-compliant.

The report indicates that honey imported from the UK had a suspicion rate of 100%, with the JRC suggesting that the honey may have been produced in other countries before being processed in the UK and re-exported to the EU.

From the hives is the EU coordinated action led by the European Commissions Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), with the national authorities of 18 countries who are part of the EU Food Fraud Network, OLAF and the European Commissions Joint Research Centre (JRC).

The participating countries were: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Sweden, as well as Norway and Switzerland.

133 businesses (70 importers and 63 exporters) were found to be involved in consignments of honey suspected of being adulterated. A further 44 operators have been investigated to date, states OLAF.

Honey naturally contains sugars and, according to EU legislation, must remain pure meaning that it cannot have ingredients added to it. Adulteration occurs when ingredients such as water or inexpensive sugar syrups are artificially added to increase the volume of honey, reads a statement published by OLAF.

While the risk for human health is considered as low, such practices defraud consumers and put honest producers in jeopardy as they face unfair competition from operators who can slash prices thanks to illicit, cheap ingredients.

The report states that the EU average unit value for imported honey was 2.32 /kg in 2021, whereas sugar syrups made from rice were at around 0.40 0.60 /kg.

Ville Itl, Director-General of OLAF, said: The EU is an importer of honey as the internal demand is higher than our domestic production. It is important that we remain vigilant against any abuse. The most frequent type of fraud with honey happens via adulteration, meaning by adding cheap ingredients instead of keeping the honey pure. But we also found instances of origin fraud, with labels claiming false origins of the product. This action served to raise attention, call for order, and deter any fraudulent practices.

The main buyers of honey produced in the world are the United States and Europe.

French newspaper Le Monde reported that with 175,000 tons of honey imported per year, the Old Continent is the world's second-largest importer of honey after the United States.

Faced with this hum-dinger of a report, the UK government has said it is investigating the results, but officials are disputing claims that honey imports are adulterated on an industrial scale.

Government officials say more advanced testing technology is required, and that current enforcement is fit for purpose. For the UK, there is insufficient evidence to date to indicate fraud.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: The UK government takes any type of food fraud very seriously including honey adulteration. There is no place for adulterated honey which undermines consumer confidence and disadvantages responsible businesses.

We work closely with enforcement authorities to ensure honey sold in the UK is not subject to adulteration, meets our high standards and maintains a level playing field between honey producers.

See the article here:
Buzz off! Nearly half of honey in European markets is fake ... - Euronews

BISHKEK -- David O'Sullivan, the European Union's special envoy for the implementation of sanctions, has called on Kyrgyzstan and other nations in Moscow's political and economic sphere to avoid assisting Moscow's attempts to evade sanctions imposed on Russia over its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Talking to reporters in Bishkek on March 28, O'Sullivan questioned the final destination of many goods imported to Central Asian nations, as well as to Armenia, Georgia, Serbia, and the United Arab Emirates, after data showed a 300 percent increase of goods coming into the area from the EU in recent months.

"The transportation of goods previously exported to Russia from the European Union, but stopped after the sanctions, has increased," he said.

O'Sullivan pointed out that 770 items imported from the EU to other countries had been found in Russian military equipment and weapons used in its war against Ukraine, a clear sign that some nations were being used as transit points for goods to flow into Russia.

He added that he hopes to meet with top officials from Kyrgyzstan to discuss the exporting of goods from the Central Asian nation to other countries to prevent the products from making their way to Russia.

Kyrgyz Economy and Commerce Minister Daniyar Amangeldiev told RFE/RL that Kyrgyzstan's trade with other nations is being carried out in accordance with all laws and regulations, adding however, that Bishkek cannot guarantee no sanctioned goods are being exported to Russia.

Kyrgyzstan is one of Russia's active trading partners and a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, a trading bloc dominated by Russia that also includes Belarus, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. The grouping was conceived by Moscow as a counterweight to the European Union, though experts view it as being mainly a way for Moscow to exert economic leverage over the other countries.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the EU and the United States have sanctioned thousands of entities and individuals, while the U.S. Commerce Department has imposed prohibitive controls on exports to Russia and its ally Belarus.

The United States said earlier this month that Russian companies have evaded the sanctions using intermediaries in China, Armenia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates.

In April last year, the deputy chief of the presidential office in Kazakhstan, Russia's largest trade partner in Central Asia, said his country will not help Russia evade Western sanctions, but added it will continue its economic ties with Russia within the Eurasian Economic Union, as "there is no way for our economy to do it differently."

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EU Official Calls On Kyrgyzstan To Prevent Russia From Evading Sanctions - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

A major UN report recently warned that water supplies around the world are at increasing risk from vampiric overconsumption.

Europe has been in drought since 2018, according to a recent study from the Graz University of Technology in Austria. Researchers say the water situation is now very precarious.

Countries across the continent have been struggling with water even through winter. Low rain and snowfall mean already dwindling supplies havent been restored during this typically wet period.

In northern Italy, France and Spain, the situation raises concerns for water supply for human use, agriculture and energy production, according to the EU Joint Research Centres (JRC) latest report on droughts in Europe.

And, it says, Europe and the Mediterranean region could experience another extreme summer this year. The European Commission says that it could be an even drier summer than in previous years with the precipitation in the coming weeks crucial to determining what happens.

On 20 February this year, France broke a record by going 32 consecutive days without rain. The country experienced its driest winter in more than 60 years.

Snowfall in the French Alps, Pyrenees and other mountain ranges was also much lower than usual this year. This precipitation is vital for filling rivers and reservoirs, prompting concerns for supplies through the rest of the year.

Almost all French departments were affected by water restrictions in 2022 and 700 municipalities had difficulties with drinking water supplies.

Several authorities have already introduced restrictions this year. Drme and Ardche have been put on an early drought warning. They are encouraging residents to curb their water use.

The Pyrnes-Orientales, Ain, Bouches-du-Rhne, and Var are also on alert with people living in these areas forbidden from watering their lawns, filling swimming pools or watering crops.

French Environment Minister Christophe Bchu announced earlier this year that the government was working on an anti-drought plan in the face of the crisis. He said that the average water consumption of 150 litres per person a day wasnt sustainable and called on all industries to cut their usage.

One solution that France is looking at is recycling more wastewater. Just 77 of the total 33,000 treatment plants in the country are currently equipped with a recycling treatment system. Any plan to cut consumption needs to include ramping up the reprocessing of wastewater, Bchu said.

He also warned that the countrys 100 departmental prefects shouldnt hesitate to bring in local water restrictions this year given the current situation.

In northeastern Spain, drought has reached extraordinary proportions, according to the countrys weather service Aemet. The dire situation has been caused by high temperatures and low rainfall over the last three years.

Drinking water supplies for the six million people who live in Barcelonas metropolitan area are now at risk. The Sau reservoir is at around 9 per cent of its total capacity and officials have made the decision to remove fish to stop them from suffocating.

Water has been diverted to a different reservoir in the region to prevent what remains from becoming undrinkable.

Despite a slight recovery during winter, Amemet says, the dry spell has continued with all of Spain in drought conditions since January 2022.

The situation in Catalonia, however, is critical. Water levels in reservoirs in the region are well below average. Restrictions are already in place for agriculture and industrial water use while residents cant use drinking water to wash cars or fill swimming pools.

Italy was one of the European countries hit hardest by last years droughts with the government declaring a state of emergency in five regions.

The Po is the countrys longest river - crossing from the border with France and Switzerland to the Adriatic Sea. In 2022, the river basin suffered the worst drought in 70 years with water shortages affecting everything from agriculture to green energy generation.

Now millions of people in regions vulnerable to drought, like Lombardy and Piedmont, could face more restrictions this year after a dry winter. Lake Garda in the north of the country has already dried up and low water levels in Venices famous canals made it impossible for boats to pass through.

But a lack of rainfall and hot weather isnt the only problem.

Italy draws more drinking water from its lakes, rivers and reservoirs than any other country in the European Union, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).

ISTAT also recently revealed that Italys aqueducts lost 42 per cent of the water they carried in 2020. That is the highest proportion ever recorded. One out of every four towns lost more than 55 per cent of water to leaks and in five out of seven areas, these leaks are getting worse.

After last years unprecedented emergency, Italy cant afford to waste the water it does have.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament on 21 March that a national water plan was being worked on. It would include improvements to infrastructure and an awareness campaign about the need to save resources.

In a recent interview, Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said the government was readying a 7.8 billion package to help the country deal with the water crisis.

Read more here:
Very precarious: The European countries facing another year of ... - Euronews

Richard Hughes said the effect of Brexit on the economy is on the magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic and rising energy prices, and the country is seeing the biggest squeeze on living standards on record.

He told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: But we do expect, as we get past this year and we go into the next three or four years, that real income starts to recover.

But its still the case that peoples real spending power doesnt get back to the level it was before the pandemic even after five years, even by the time we get to the late 2020s.

Mr Hughes said this is partly because the UKs growth has been held back by supply constraints on key drivers of growth.

He spoke of the country losing 500,000 workers, combined with stagnant investment since 2016 and slowing productivity.

Asked how much stronger the economy would be if the UK had remained in the EU, he said: We think that, in the long run, (Brexit) reduces our overall output by around 4% compared to had we remained in the EU.

Ive struggled to put it in any kind of sensible context.

Its a shock to the UK economy of the order of magnitude to other shocks that weve seen from the pandemic, from the energy crisis.

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'Economy 4% lower than if UK had remained in European Union' - Evening Standard

Less-developed regions have improved their performances, triggering significant economic advantages for their citizens, but big differences remain in particular between large urban areas and the rest

The 2022 edition of the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI), presented at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), crowns the Dutch region of Utrecht, followed by Zuid-Holland and the French capital region of le-de-France as the most competitive regions in the European Union. The comparison with previous editions shows that regions of eastern and southern Europe are catching up. However, in many countries the gap between the capital city region and the remaining territories is still particularly wide.

The RCI was developed by the European Commission to assist policy makers with the design of better policies and monitoring their effectiveness, and is of particular interest for national and local authorities responsible for regional development strategies. The 2022 edition, named Regional Competitiveness Index 2.0, was unveiled during an event hosted by the CoR, with the presence of Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms.

Opening the event, the Chair of the CoR Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER) and Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Emil Boc (RO/EPP) underlined that "on the one hand, the Regional Competitiveness Index is a tool that can help every region to assess its performance, compared with other regions and with itself over time. On the other hand, the RCI can be useful for national and local decision makers responsible for regional development strategies, in particular in the context of cohesion policy. The index will be a powerful tool to support the CoR's work on the future of cohesion policy as well as the #CohesionAlliance's campaign to reinforce social economic, and territorial cohesion in the EU."

Robert Strijk (NL/RE), Regional Minister of Economic and European Affairs of the province of Utrecht, said: "I am happy and grateful to find our ambitious region taking first place in the European RCI. First and foremost, Utrecht is the beating heart of a healthy society. As a region, we are on a mission to make significant and lasting improvements to the health and well-being of our inhabitants. We imagine and work towards a world in which people live better and more fulfilling lives, amidst an environment that entices them to do so.Working alongside businesses, institutions and governments, we have got the skills, resources and tenacity to deliver upon this vision."

Jakub Chestowski (PL/EPP), Marshal of the lskie Voivodeship, said: "A number of measures are being taken in my region to improve the economic situation and further enhance economic opportunities. These include projects involving the Upper Silesia Fund, which is dedicated to the economic promotion of the region and the creation of favourable conditions for investment and export. The aim is to increase the value of direct investment in the region, increase the level of exports, particularly from SMEs, and promote the region as an attractive place to live and work."

Despite the improvements recorded in the last decade, the RCI shows competitiveness disparities between regions that affect the economic, social and territorial cohesion in Europe. In order to advocate cohesion as a fundamental value of the EU and plead for a strong Cohesion Policy beyond 2027, the CoR and the leading European associations of regions and cities founded the #CohesionAlliance. On 16 March, the Alliance kicked off the reflection process on the future of cohesion policy launching two new calls for contributions:

To stay up to date with all the activities of the #CohesionAlliance and the latest development on cohesion policy, you can sign up to receive the new #CohesionAlliance newsletterhere.

Background:

The RCI is a composite indicator which provides a synthetic picture of territorial competitiveness (the ability of a region to offer an attractive environment for firms and residents to live and work) for each of the regions of the 27 EU Member States. It is based on thestatistical, NUTS 2 (Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics) regions, with NUTS 2 regions that are part of the same functional urban area combined. More information is available here.

The European Commission published the RCI for the first time in 2010 and updates it every three years, with slight modifications incorporated into each edition. This year is the fifth edition of the report, and it contains several changes in the methodology that nonetheless allow for meaningful comparisons with previous editions. The previous edition was presented during the European Week of regions and Cities 2019.

Contact:

Matteo Miglietta

Tel. +32 (0) 470 89 53 82

matteo.miglietta@cor.europa.eu

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Regional Competitiveness Index 2022: Europe needs strong ... - European Committee of the Regions