Fair incomes, sustainability at heart of 'EU vision' for agriculture

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 16 - 'How to ensure a fair standard of living for farmers' and 'how to ensure the sustainability of agriculture within planetary boundaries' are the two questions at the heart of the new 'vision of European agriculture' that the European Commission will present within the first 100 days of its new term.
    This was stated by the Director General of DG Agri, Wolfgang Burtscher, speaking on 14 October at a hearing in the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee (Agri) on the conclusions of the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture, the forum launched on 25 January by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to respond to the tractor protests that have shaken Europe in recent months.
    The recommendations of the Dialogue that were delivered to the European Commission last month will be the basis for Brussels' work on the future of EU agriculture.
    While it will be up to the next European executive to decide "the exact content" of the vision, the two questions identified by the representative of the European Commission will be at the heart of the supporting structure of the new course.
    "Simplification and reciprocity in trade agreements" will be the other aspects that will flow into the vision, which should also be the basis of the proposal for the future post-2027 CAP, expected no earlier than summer 2025.
    In the discussion with the European Commission, it became clear that, for many, the crux of the discussions will be strengthening the budget dedicated to the new Common Agricultural Policy.
    The European Union must move "to strengthen the competitive capacity of our agriculture, a strategic asset for the Continent: it is necessary to define a budget for the CAP that is adequate to the challenges of the future. Farmers must be incentivized and not subsidized, and it is necessary to adjust the budget of the Common Agricultural Policy" post-2027 "in a strong and stable manner, coherent and adequate to inflation", suggested Massimiliano Giansanti, president of Confagricoltura and newly elected head of Copa, the Brussels umbrella association that protects the interests of farmers.
    Giansanti indicated five pillars on which the future European Commission should work in its next term, starting from "decent income for our activity", intervening in particular on the value chain to prevent consumers and farmers from feeling the effects of price increases. There is also a focus on the "bureaucratic and administrative simplification" of the agricultural policy, on the reciprocity to be guaranteed to farmers in the rules for trade with third countries, on the promotion of "generational turnover" and, above all, on "research and innovation to address the challenges of climate change". Giansanti recalled that farmers must overcome all "these challenges in a difficult climate context", they are the "true guardians of the environment", not the problem, "but the solution to the problem".
    "Farmers are the first ones to want to preserve biodiversity, ensure food security and fight climate change, but we need more resources for agriculture, entrusting them to those who innovate and those who deserve to be helped, starting with small farmers who are often the most disadvantaged", pointed out Dario Nardella, an MEP for the Democratic Party and coordinator for the Socialists and Democrats in the agriculture committee. Also among the Dems, the president of the Envi committee Antonio Decaro recalled that the "agricultural transition will require sacrifices from our farmers, Europe must be ready to make them for them. We understand the challenges that the sector must face, we need a common path", he said, relaunching the idea of a Fund for the agricultural transition "to align the objectives of the CAP with the environmental and climate challenges of the Green Deal".
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    (ANSA).