Final report on the future of EU agriculture

The strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture has been completed. As part of its conclusion, a report was submitted to the European Commission: A Common Perspective for Agriculture and Food in Europe, which includes an assessment of challenges and opportunities, as well as a series of recommendations. According to the European Commission, within the first 100 days of President Ursula von der Leyen’s second term, a vision for the future of agriculture and ensuring food security will be developed based on the report’s recommendations.

How did the final report on the future of EU agriculture come about?

The report on the future of EU agriculture was prepared on the basis of the strategic dialogue that was announced by President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union address in September 2023. and launched in January 2024. The dialogue brought together 29 stakeholders from Europe’s agri-food sector, civil society, rural communities and academia. Their goal was to reach consensus and develop a future vision for agriculture and food systems in the EU.

Discussions among strategic dialogue participants revolved around four questions:

• How can we provide our farmers and rural communities with better prospects, including an adequate standard of living?
• How can we support agriculture while respecting the limits of our planet and its ecosystem?
• How can we better take advantage of the tremendous opportunities offered by knowledge and technological innovation?
• How can we help create a bright and successful future for the European food system in a competitive world?

As part of the ongoing dialogue, various working groups have been set up to help the planned work run smoothly. From January to August 2024. a total of seven plenary meetings were held for all participants in the strategic dialogue. Ursula von der Leyen participated in three of them. The chairman of the strategic dialogue was Prof. Peter Strohschneider, who solicited opinions from EU-wide organizations active throughout the food supply chain, and met with agriculture ministers from individual member states, the College of EU Commissioners, Members of the European Parliament and representatives of the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.

Report – key recommendations

The report’s recommendations are based on five pillars:

• Working together for a sustainable, resilient and competitive future: this section discusses the need to align the CAP with the ongoing transition to more sustainable and competitive food systems, the importance of empowering farmers in the food value chain, access to finance, and the role of trade and international standards.
• Pursuing sustainable agrifood systems: the recommendations in this section relate to supporting and promoting sustainable agricultural practices, including for livestock breeding and spreading awareness of animal welfare and empowering consumers to choose a balanced and sustainable diet.
• Promoting transformational resilience: in view of increasing environmental, climate, geopolitical and economic risks: the report emphasizes the need to strengthen risk and crisis management tools, as well as to better protect and manage agricultural land, promote water-scarce resilient agriculture, and develop innovative plant breeding strategies.
• Building an attractive and diverse sector: this section details the importance of generational exchange and gender equality, as well as dynamically developing rural areas and agri-food systems, including the need to protect workers.
• Improved access to and use of knowledge and innovation: recommended facilitating access to knowledge and skills, and stated that digitization brings opportunities.

The report, produced as part of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, is addressed to the European Commission, the European Parliament, member states and stakeholders.

How does the prepared report evaluate the European Commission?

The European Commission welcomes the work done by the 29 participants in the strategic dialogue and their constructive engagement throughout the process to finalize and unanimously approve the final report. The results of the dialogue show that parties representing key interests throughout the agri-food chain were able to reach consensus in the course of the public debate on agri-food issues, despite extreme differences of opinion.

As announced, the European Commission will carefully evaluate the report’s recommendations for the creation of a new platform bringing together stakeholders from across the agri-food sector, civil society and academia to continue working on strategies to lead to improved sustainability and resilience of agri-food systems.