“If I am confirmed as Commissioner, I will prepare a Vision for Agriculture and Food in the first 100 days of my mandate, working under the guidance of the President and in cooperation with other members of the College”, explained Commission-designate for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, on Wednesday 23 October in his answers to MEPs’ written questions ahead of the hearing scheduled for 4 November (see EUROPE 13497/7).
The objective of this important task during the Commission’s next term of office will be to determine a “roadmap for future initiatives that will cover a broad set of strategic issues for agriculture and food”, according to the answers (https://aeur.eu/f/e01 ) provided by the Luxembourger.
This vision will look at the entire agri-food value chain and propose pathways to ensure the long-term competitiveness, sustainability, profitability and attractiveness of the sector, maintaining the diversity of farming across our continent. It will address, among others, the socio-economic situation of farmers and in particular their income, making value chains fairer, enhancing the resilience of farms, incentivising sustainable farming practices, reducing food losses and waste, managing and reducing administrative burden stemming from (...) legislation”, explains Mr Hansen.
It will also ensure follow-up on the report of the Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU Agriculture. He is keen to pay close attention to the needs and concerns of young people when implementing the current CAP by “building upon the annual Youth Policy Dialogues, with the first Dialogue to be organised already in the first 100 days of the mandate of the new College”.
“We need bold action to sustain the future of farming for generations to come. We must ensure that the next generation can continue to find fulfilment in their farming activity”, writes Mr Hansen.
The Commissioner-designate hopes to be the right man for the job, pointing out that he is a former MEP and Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity and a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development in the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies.
Mr Hansen intends to rapidly propose targeted changes to the Common Market Organisation (CMO) Regulation in order to “strengthen the producers’ position in the negotiation and conclusion of contracts for the supply of agricultural products” and to improve price transmission. Similarly, to better protect farmers against unfair commercial practices, “I will recommend that the Commission proposes new rules on cross-border enforcement in the framework of the Unfair Trading Practices Directive”.
He also intends to work closely with the Commissioner for Enlargement, the Member States, enlargement countries and stakeholders to discuss the future of agriculture in a “larger Union”. The potential impact of enlargement on agriculture in the current Member States needs to be assessed in the light of a number of uncertainties, according to Mr Hansen. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)