From Von der Leyen’s speech at the annual EU agri conference it became clear that the ‘strategic discussion’ will not only be conducted with (organizations of) European farmers, but that the entire range of agrifood actors will be involved, “from small traditional producers of organic food to major wheat producers,” according to Von der Leyen.
Again, the EC President said nothing about the handling of previously announced elements of the Green Deal, the food strategy, and the farm-to-fork biodiversity package. She did say that the new agricultural policy must also support rural communities, as well as support agriculture “within the limits of our planet and its ecosystem.”
Several EU Agriculture Ministers welcomed the idea of a strategic dialogue, although some regretted that the focus remains solely on agriculture and instead called for a more inclusive ‘food systems’ approach. “We need to look at the entire food system, from production to consumption, and involve commercial actors such as food processors and retailers,” states a letter drafted by multiple EU food ministers.
When reporters asked whether the name should be expanded, Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski agreed that the strategy “should not consider agriculture alone.” He added that the chosen title was a “working title.” Wojciechowski said the ‘strategic dialogue’ in January should pave the way for negotiations and debate thereafter about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the new legislative period, after the European elections.
“We need the arguments for a stronger budget (…) 0.3% of GDP is not enough,” Wojciechowski told journalists after the conference, adding that he hopes this dialogue “will send an important signal to the member states, because they determine the budget.” Earlier, Wojciechowski had already made clear that he believes the financing of the EU agricultural policy will have to be substantially overhauled in the coming years.
Next week, the agricultural budget will be closely scrutinized by the 27 EU finance ministers in their search for an additional 50 billion euros for military support to Ukraine. Current rotating EU presidency Spain has so far kept the agricultural budget out of potential cuts, much to the discontent of several EU countries.