Did you know what EU simplification has in common with winemaking?

In many ways, the EU Commission’s work to simplify regulations is like farmers pruning vineyards to make wine: selectively removing branches and buds to improve plant health, manage and stimulate growth and quality. Like regulatory simplification, pruning redirects energy where it matters most. This practice is important in many crops such as tomatoes and fruits trees. In grapevines, it also reduces disease, and ensures sunlight can ripen the grapes, to produce quality wines. The EU’s simplification ambitions also aim to cut back regulatory overgrowth and stimulate productivity.

With the Food & Feed Simplification Omnibus, policy makers look to reduce administrative burdens to achieve faster and clearer procedures for approvals of plant protection products and biocides amongst others. Seasonal pruning in agriculture mirrors the EU’s effort to remove regulatory deadwood. Getting inspiration from pruning, a well-informed and targeted simplification is needed to enable Europe to harvest the benefits of innovation and investment in the future.