Brussels, 24/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - Instead of being dismantled, European policies need to be made more ambitious - particularly the common agriculture policy (CAP). This is the main message sent out by a new think tank, which will hold its inaugural meeting in Brussels on 29 April.
This think tank, Farm Europe, aims to be a meeting place for professional organisations and enterprises with a firm belief that the European policy project for the agriculture and food sector needs to be “developed further, not dismantled” and that “sustainability goes hand in hand with economic ambition”. It will seek to collect private and public expertise to devise a “modern” and global common policy covering not just agriculture, but also energy, sanitary and health issues, as well as the environment, climate and trade.
Bringing together 14 EU organisations and representatives of the three Community institutions for this launch, Farm Europe will be led by three respected specialists in these areas at European and international level: Joao Pacheco (Portugal), previously a senior official within the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission (DG AGRI), Denmark's Lars Hoelgaard, former deputy director general of DG AGRI, and Yves Madre of France, principal adviser to the former Agriculture Commissioner, Dacian Ciolos. (Lionel Changeur)