The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, yesterday received with a red carpet the representatives of the 30 agricultural organizations selected to participate in the expected “strategic dialogue” on the future of agriculture, a sector at war from north to south of Europe for different reasons.
“There is a growing polarization in all issues related to agriculture”, but “we can overcome it with dialogue”, assured the German in the first meeting of the think tank, held in the same room where every week the college of European commissioners meets. Von der Leyen announced the initiative in her last State of the Union speech in September, the first of four she has delivered so far to mention the sector. “Thank you for providing us with food every day”, he said, while anger grew in the street against the environmental measures promoted by the EU or the effects of the tariff-free entry of agri-food products from Ukraine.
The work is chaired by Professor Peter Strohschneider, who already led a similar exercise in Germany which he himself considers a success, although his recommendations have not yet been implemented and since December the sector has taken to the streets to protest the Government’s intention to eliminate fuel tax subsidies. The reasons for the agricultural unrest, cholera in many cases, vary, but the group agreed on four major issues that needed to be addressed: farmers’ income; the reconciliation of climate and nature conservation policies with agricultural production; innovation; and the impact on the entire food chain.
Their conclusions will be reflected in a report that they will present at the end of the summer and that will have an “indirect impact” on the design of the next European policies that affect the sector. Among the participants, there are large agricultural associations such as COPA-Cogeca, representatives of young farmers and consumers or Eucommerce.
The launch of this exercise has been delayed longer than some countries would have liked to coincide with the pre-campaign for the elections to the European Parliament, in which polls predict an advance of the far-right, very present in the protests of the sector .
Von der Leyen herself could present herself in these elections, with a view to being the head of the list of the European People’s Party and to chair the Commission again. His spokesman has denied any “conflict of interest”, despite the fact that his political family campaigns as “the party of European farmers”.
