Where: Strasbourg – In front of the European Parliament (Rue Lucien Fevre – TBC)
When: 12 March 2024 – From 10.30-11.30 CET
Who: Copa-Cogeca and FDSEA67 (the local branch of FNSEA)
Why: For several months now, farmers throughout Europe have been mobilising to address local, national, and European concerns. Our agriculture is reaching a turning point in many productions. All these movements had several points in common concerning regulatory burdens, trade agreements, and the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), all of which point to the EU legislator.
In recent years, there has been a prevailing tendency to pursue agendas forcefully, “at any cost,” without engaging in meaningful dialogue with farmers, as evidenced by initiatives like Farm to Fork. The Green Deal for agriculture in this regard was a regulatory tsunami, with too many rushed consultations, arbitrary top-down targets, and proposals pushed through without feasibility studies nor financing!
Today, we see that the European Commission, with its Strategic Dialogue launched by President von der Leyen, is bringing back method and listening – it’s about time and welcomed! We have also witnessed expressions of support from most political parties within the European Parliament during recent public hearings. However, the same European Parliament voted on the NRL just a few days ago and showed limited support to its agricultural landscape when questions are raised concerning trade with Ukraine. All of this sends out contradictory messages to farmers and gives the impression that Europe has lost its agricultural compass!
European agriculture is calling for short-term answers and strong signals, whether in the form of immediately effective simplification proposals, answers on agricultural trade with Ukraine, a halt to negotiations on the EU Mercosur agreement in its current form, breakthrough on NGTs or a directive on industrial emissions that does not attack family pig and poultry farms!
We will be coming to Strasbourg for the March plenary, where three key votes will possibly take place, on the IED, Green Claims and on the Ukrainian ATM’s, to reiterate in a peaceful and democratic way the need for coherence in the EU. In these critical times, our message resonates loud and clear: It is time to steer EU agricultural policies back on course, reaffirm agriculture as a cornerstone of the EU project, and reclaim a strategic compass!
Should you be interested in being present please inform us of this via the following jotform: https://form.jotform.com/240603555571353
