The strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture should not only focus on the Common Agricultural Policy, but should also look at 'future challenges'. The dialogue set up by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen should also take into account the consequences of EU membership of Ukraine and Moldova and the prospects for European rural areas.
That recommendation was made at the beginning of this week by top officials from the 27 EU countries in the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). That group has prepared the debates of the Agriculture Council next week in Brussels. The European Commission also participates in all SCA meetings. The SCA is one of the most influential advisory bodies for European agricultural policy.
Little is known in Brussels about the 'strategic dialogue' promised by Von der Leyen. She called last year to overcome polarization over contentious issues such as pesticide use in agriculture. According to her, it is possible to reconcile healthy agriculture and livable nature.
Her ambition is to bring all players in the food chain to the dialogue table. Not only producers and processors, but also other stakeholders, including civil society. That is why she has now submitted a memorandum with three specific questions to the agricultural ministers and to agricultural organizations. The ministers will meet in Brussels on January 23; the agricultural organizations two days later.
The European agricultural umbrella organization Copa-Cosega says that they will keep Von der Leyen at her word, and considers itself better equipped for negotiations with the European Commission thanks to the recent farmers' protests. But whether the ministers or the European Commission will allow agricultural umbrella organizations to narrow the discussion to solely 'farmers' interests', or whether 'future challenges' (Ukraine?) should be looked at, remains to be seen.
Since last week, the meeting agenda of the 27 LNV ministers has included Von der Leyen's seemingly simple request with three questions: what are the conditions to enable farmers to continue to supply food and raw materials and earn a decent income in a sustainable way? to generate? Which themes would you like to highlight in order to depolarize the debate on agricultural issues? What results do you expect from this strategic dialogue?, she asks the Agriculture Ministers.
That request is apparently the start of the dialogue. No fewer than four European Commissioners participate in the LNV Agricultural Council: Janus Wojciechowski (Agriculture), Stella Kiryiakides (Food), Virginius Sinkevicius (Environment) and Maros Sefcovic (Green Deal). “We want to start discussions to rebuild consensus on the CAP and European agriculture,” Vice-President Šefčovič said recently. He has taken over Frans Timmermans' Green Deal tasks since the end of last year.
It is not yet clear what Dutch Minister Adema will say. In a letter to Parliament he makes a few non-binding comments that 'the cabinet welcomes the initiative...dialogue is necessary...can strengthen the connection...and that there must be a joint European vision'.
The approach now chosen ('first ask what the ministers expect') leaves it completely unclear when conclusions or decisions can be expected. Given the European parliamentary elections (June this year) and the composition of a new European Commission (autumn this year) and the formulation of a new European agricultural policy (early next year), little concrete can be expected for the time being.
This procedure of asking questions to the ministers ('collecting input') is quite common in the EU decision-making process: this prevents (official) memoranda and policy proposals from taking a completely different substantive direction than what the ministers and politicians apparently take. envisions. Von der Leyen previously emphasized that dialogue is necessary to depolarize the food debate. Her three questions to the ministers and to the agricultural civil society are apparently the moment to get 'that European polder' going.