European Farmers Congress: Shaping Agriculture as a Key Asset for Europe’s Future
The 11th edition of the Congress of European farmers, organised by Copa and Cogeca and supported by the Romanian Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation (AAC), was held in Bucharest from 23rd to 25th October. With more than 400 participants and panellists, the programme focused on setting the course for the competitive and sustainable future of European Agriculture for the next political term.
The Congress represented a pivotal moment serving not only as a symbol of the sector’s collective strength, but also as a key platform to cultivate ideas and propose solutions.
As we enter a new political term, where significant policies are set to shape our sector, this has been the place to build synergies and advocate for the future of European agriculture.
The challenges and difficulties that the farming community is facing today are many. Farmers and agri-cooperatives are confronted with unparalleled convergences of economic, climate and social challenges: geopolitical instability, extreme weather events, unfair competition, high inputs costs, lack of fair renumeration and mounting administrative burden.
Both the current President of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy and the Rumanian Minister for Agriculture Florin-Ionuț Barbu stressed the urgency for the European governments to unite in delivering a viable future for the sector, that is competitive, resilient and with farmer’s interest at the heart of agriculture policies.
Cogeca President Lennart Nilsson stated: “Over the past two days, we have had intensive discussions covering key strategic topics such as: advancing cooperation, boosting innovation, facilitating the uptake of bioeconomy and creating a well-funded Water Resilience Initiative. Copa and Cogeca members contributions on these topics are essential to further shape our own vision for the future of EU agriculture based on the reality from the ground”.
A key point by many of the participants and high-level representatives was that the governance of the agri-food and rural policies at EU level should ensure predictability, limit unnecessary administrative burden and conduct thorough impact assessments.
Copa President Massimiliano Giansanti reflected on the Congress discussions in his closing speech:” The farmers that took to the streets in the past months, show how vulnerable our community is to the cumulative impacts of policies, market conditions and geopolitical events. The EU institutions need to regain farmer’s trust. Coherent actions are needed. This needs to be demonstrated by a dedicated increased CAP Budget post 2027; coherence on trade and in that sense, not advancing Mercosur agreement in its current form. Equally on food chain, actions are needed to increase the remuneration of farmers”. In summary he underlined: “We are and should be the protagonist of a “new competitiveness deal for farmers” that puts agriculture at the centre of the European project: ensuring fair income, productivity and innovation in the path to the green transition.”
At this juncture for the EU and with the expected Vision for the Future of EU Agriculture, all the farming leaders present strongly reiterated that Europe must support the competitiveness and productivity of farms and agri-cooperatives.
Together, by harnessing the strength of our agricultural community, we can turn challenges into opportunities and lead Europe towards a more secure and prosperous future.
