President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has officially launched a Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture in the EU which she said will “shape a shared vision for the future of the EU’s farming and food system”.
The initiative, which was first announced by President von der Leyen in September, will consider challenges that are raised by stakeholders and participants.
These challenges, according to the commission, are expected to include standards of living for farmers and rural communities; exploiting technology and innovation, promoting the EU’s food system; and supporting agriculture “within the boundaries of our planet and its ecosystems”.
The chairperson of the dialogue will be Prof. Peter Strohschneider, a German academic who recently chaired Germany’s ‘Commission for the Future of Agriculture’.
This German commission published a report in 2021 which called for increased promotion of plant-based diets, among several other recommendations.
According to the commission, the EU’s strategic dialogue will involve stakeholders from across the whole agri-food chain.
These will include farmers; co-operatives; agri-food businesses; rural communities; non-governmental organisations (NGOs); civil society representatives; financial institutions; and academia.
A series of meetings (what the commission calls ‘thematic meetings’) will be organised in the first half of this year.
The commission said that both the Council of the EU and the European Parliament will be involved in the process, and it is envisaged that Prof. Strohschneider will regularly inform both institutions on the progress of the strategic dialogue.
The commission said that, by combining different perspectives, the dialogue will aim to develop new solutions and a “common vision” for the future of EU agriculture and food sector, which is planned to be developed by summer 2024.
The chairperson is tasked with defining the format of the conclusions.
Commenting on the strategic dialogue, President von der Leyen said: “The time is ripe to forge a new consensus on food and farming among farmers, rural communities and all other actors in the EU agri-food chain.
“EU farmers and the food industry provide our citizens with healthy and high-quality food, and make a central contribution to our economy, particularly in rural areas.
“They are also making a tremendous effort to contribute to our collective green and digital transitions. But at the same time they are confronted with a wide range of challenges, ranging from climate change, to inflation, to volatile market impacts,” President von der Leyen added.