Due to the principle of territoriality, enforcement authorities could face difficulties gathering information, finding an infringement and imposing and enforcing fines and other equally effective penalties where a buyer is established in another Member State. This is the case, for example where operators in the agricultural and food supply chain or their alliances have a cross-border purchasing strategy. Such difficulties affect the system of enforcement established by Directive (EU) 2019/633, which depends on cooperation between enforcement authorities, and could lead to an uneven enforcement of the prohibition of unfair trading practices, undermining the protection for suppliers of agricultural and food products intended by that Directive. It is therefore appropriate to establish certain uniform rules strengthening cooperation between enforcement authorities in cross-border cases. Strengthening that cooperation would lead to more effective protection against unfair trading practices with a cross-border dimension and contribute to strengthening farmers’ position in that supply chain, thereby ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural community.
Text as published in the Official Journal, reproduced verbatim (including any typographical quirks of the source). For the authentic version, see EUR-Lex.
