Ursula von der Leyen’s last State of the European Union speech was eagerly awaited by all those involved in the agricultural and forestry sector. Copa and Cogeca were hoping that the President of the European Commission would pay particular attention to the sectors, and we have been heard!
As well as the mention of appreciation for the work and resilience of the European farming community in the face of the crises that have marked her term of office, Copa and Cogeca noted the confirmation of a renewed desire for dialogue and shift in method at the top of the Commission. This confirms the mission statement given to the new Commissioner in charge of the Green Deal, Maroš Šefčovič, just a few days ago.
“We need more dialogue and less polarisation“, this is a message we have been conveying for months, and like the President of the Commission, Copa and Cogeca are also “convinced that agriculture and nature protection can go hand in hand”.
We therefore welcome this morning’s announcement to open “a strategic dialogue” on the future of agriculture in Europe and we stand ready to contribute. Still, we await further details on the framework of this dialogue, which should form part of the preparatory work for the future CAP.
To avoid polarisation, we need to move away from ideological solutions/targets and factually look at the consequences of political initiatives using science-based impact assessments. We therefore hope that this strategic dialogue will open with an analysis of the Green Deal policies already on the table and that any new proposals will be subject to feasibility and budgetary assessments to make EU ambitions on par with its resources.
Finally, we welcome the announcements concerning the creation of an EU SME envoy and the Social Partner Summit. However, we remain concerned by the Commission President’s determination to conclude trade negotiations with the Mercosur bloc. We need firm commitment from these countries to environmental sustainability.
Artigo publicado originalmente em Copa Cogeca.
