President European Commission

 

Dear President,

Thank you for the Commission’s reply of 3 November 2025 to the above complaint. In its reply, the Commission explained how it is implementing its Vision for Agriculture and Food.

I acknowledge the Commission’s prerogative, emphasised in its reply, to determine the timing, scope, and appropriateness of legislative initiatives, including the legislative proposal on sustainable food systems, which this complaint is about.

At the same time, as set out in my letter of 19 August 2025, the Commission must remain accountable towards the public. Therefore, I reiterate my view that the Commission should provide the public with information regarding the status of its legislative initiatives, including whether specific initiatives are ongoing, put on hold, or withdrawn, as well as provisional timelines for its ongoing work in this regard. This is especially the case where the Commission has already sought feedback from stakeholders and the public on specific initiatives, as was the case here.

In view of this, I have decided that it is necessary for my inquiry team to meet with the relevant representatives of the Commission to clarify the following questions:

1) What is the status of the legislative initiative in question? Is the Commission’s work on this initiative ongoing, has it been suspended or withdrawn?

2) How does the Commission normally inform the public about suspending or withdrawing its work on specific legislative initiatives, which have been previously announced to the public or regarding which stakeholder or public consultations have already been conducted? Please provide a few examples from the Commission’s past practice.

I would be grateful if the Commission’s services could contact Mr Michał Krajewski, who is in charge of this inquiry, to agree the arrangements for the meeting to take place by 13 February 2026.

Yours sincerely, 

Teresa Anjinho
European Ombudsman

Strasbourg, 17/12/2025