This morning the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of Copa and Cogeca met with the European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen to take stock of the situation as the 2019-2024 mandate draws to a close and to discuss the strategic repositioning of agriculture at the centre of European policies based on the organisation’s manifesto for the European elections.
In attendance were COPA President Christiane Lambert, COGECA President Lennart Nilsson, COPA Vice-President Massimiliano Giansanti, COGECA Vice-President Christian Hoegh-Andersen and Deputy Secretary-General of Copa-Cogeca Patrick Pagani.
The topics discussed during this one-hour meeting were numerous, as agricultural issues and strategic dialogue have been high on the agenda of this end of term for the European Commission. The President of the European Commission showed great attention during the meeting to the presentation of farming communities challenges while reaffirming the importance of farmers’ work for our collective food security, Europe’s sovereignty, and our ability to make the necessary transitions. Ursula von der Leyen also reaffirmed the need to stop polarising agriculture and the environment in order to move forward. A vision shared by Copa and Cogeca, at the heart of the strategic dialogue, in which we have been actively participating since its launch.
A highlight of the meeting was the presentation of Copa and Cogeca’s EU election manifesto, which outlines 7 key priorities for the European Commission’s next term of office.
Copa and Cogeca’s representatives called for:
- Real review of the agricultural budget to align environmental, geopolitical, and financial ambitions following a global impact assessment of current agricultural policies at the beginning of the next mandate,
- Feasibility studies on new proposals;
- The growing need for coherence between the EU’s trade policy and its ambitions for the internal marke;
- Need, from an institutional point of view, for a European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Areas with the role of Vice-President and a strengthening of the civil dialogue groups.
Following the meeting, Christiane Lambert, Lennart Nilsson, Massimiliano Giansanti, and Christian Hoegh-Andersen provided video messages reflecting on the discussions and outcomes of the meeting. These messages can be viewed here.
