Industry lobbyist Chris Whitehouse says that while EU presidency is essentially an administrative function, the UK government will have some influence and negotiating power that could help or hinder the progress of the food supplements directive.
The UK supplement industry, which claims the new directive will seriously damage its business, took their case against the Commission to the European Court of Justice in January. An initial opinion from the advocate general was in favour of rewriting the directive.
If the final judgement, expected in July, follows this opinion, the directive will need significant new input, and this, argues Whitehouse, is why the UK needs to be applying pressure now.
"The government is uniquely placed to lean on the Commission at this moment in time, prior to the presidency actually commencing, while there are still negotiations over Commission and member state priorities," he told NutraIngredients.com.
The Dutch presidency at the end of 2004 is thought to have helped speed up discussions on the health claims regulation.
However whether industry lobbyists will be able to encourage the UK's food authorities to develop strategies based on possible outcomes for the directive ahead of the court decision remains uncertain.
The House of Commons has however turned its attention back to the subject of the supplements directive on the first day of the New Session, with a motion demanding action from government to find solutions to all possible outcomes of the courtcase tabled in the House of Commons this week.
"We are determined that the issue will not be lost in the aftermath of the General Election and are going to keep up every possible pressure to bear on the Minister and the Food Standards Agency," said Whitehouse.