EESC requires extra ambition within the Widespread Agricultural Coverage
28 March 2025
3 minute learn
In a latest press launch, the European Financial and Social Committee (EESC) welcomed the European Fee’s proposal to strengthen the bargaining place of farmers in meals chains. Nonetheless, it requires extra ambition within the Widespread Agricultural Coverage.
The New Imaginative and prescient on Agriculture and Meals, the European Fee’s roadmap for reform introduced final February, was the topic of a plenary debate on the EESC on 27 March, with the participation of Christophe Hansen, EU Commissioner for Agriculture.
“The Imaginative and prescient for Agriculture and Meals is our clear, focused response to widespread calls from the agri-food sector to form a future that’s aggressive, resilient, honest and enticing for generations to return,” mentioned Commissioner Hansen.
“We will solely obtain this aim by working with all events concerned throughout the agri-food chain, with a transparent function for the social companions and civil society, with their very important hyperlink between Europe’s individuals and its establishments,” he added. “We depend on the continued assist of the Financial and Social Committee within the months forward in order that we flip the imaginative and prescient into actuality, for the good thing about Europe’s farmers, the meals trade, customers and rural communities.”
EESC president Oliver Röpke famous that the imaginative and prescient aligns with many key suggestions of the EESC.
“It recognises the essential function of all actors of the EU agri-food chain in guaranteeing the resilience, sustainability and competitiveness of the sector. In a number of instances, the EESC’s proposals have gone even additional than the imaginative and prescient,” he mentioned.
EESC members welcomed the Fee’s proposals to strengthen the bargaining place of farmers within the provide chains, to extend transparency and enabling the decision of contractual disputes with patrons, and to stop below-cost promoting.
“Written contracts with renegotiation clauses will improve transparency and strengthen farmers’ place within the agri-food chain,” pressured Stoyan Tchoukanov, rapporteur for the EESC’s opinion on strengthening producers’ place within the negotiation and conclusion of contracts.
The Fee additionally guarantees to strengthen meals coverage dialogue, and a holistic method to provide chains, sustainable meals manufacturing and wholesome and sustainable diets might result in higher and extra steady occasions for customers and producers in Europe. ‘Strengthening cooperation between authorities, with out creating authorized uncertainty, is a primary step in supporting our farmers and the only market,’ mentioned Emilie Prouzet, rapporteur for the EESC’s opinion on new guidelines on cross-border enforcement towards unfair buying and selling practices.
As highlighted through the debate, the New Imaginative and prescient for Agriculture and Meals’s dedication to a brand new EU-wide threat and disaster administration framework is in keeping with EESC opinions calling for strengthened threat and disaster administration instruments within the face of market, environmental and local weather challenges, in addition to for strategic meals reserves.
Moreover, the Fee’s forthcoming technique for generational renewal aligns with EESC suggestions on supporting younger farmers, guaranteeing entry to land, supporting funding, creating abilities and strengthening rural infrastructure.
On the destructive aspect, the contributors highlighted the difficulties in discussing the post-2027 Widespread Agricultural Coverage with out ensures concerning the scale of the brand new EU finances. Furthermore, the EESC want to have stronger implementation instruments for the social conditionalities within the CAP. Moreover, the New Imaginative and prescient for Agriculture and Meals doesn’t totally deal with the EESC’s considerations about extreme market focus in meals provide chains and the dangerous results of economic hypothesis on meals costs.
As emphasised in its plenary debate with Commissioner Hansen, the EESC stays a key ally in guaranteeing that the Fee’s imaginative and prescient is translated into concrete insurance policies that serve the pursuits of EU farmers, fishers, meals producers, employees and customers. By means of continued engagement, the EESC will work to maximise the influence of civil society in shaping the way forward for EU agriculture and meals programs.
