CEJA Young Farmers' Gazette | September 2024
Dear CEJA’s LinkedIn Network,?
Welcome to the third edition of our newsletter, a monthly recap of CEJA’s activities on policy, projects, events and our fantastic European young farmers. September has kicked off at full speed with the release of the results from the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, our Presidency has travelled across Europe for the Informal Council of Agriculture Minister and the G7, Young Farmers have come to Brussels for a working group with a focal point on Mental Health and Wellbeing with the FARMRes final conference. In the meantime, the list of Commissioner-designate has been published with the hearings set to take place in the upcoming weeks.
Extreme weather events in Central-Eastern Europe and Southern Europe
While the Brussels Bubble restarted after the summer break, farmers across Europe were facing extreme climate events.??
In Central and Eastern Europe floods made many victims. While in Southern Europe, severe droughts and wildfires caused severe damage. CEJA stands in solidarity with affected residents, those who lost relatives and our young farmers facing those extreme events.?
These events call once again for crisis management to remain a central preoccupation of the EU’s agricultural policy.
Report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture?
On September 4, 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Professor Peter Strohschneider unveiled the results of a seven-month strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture to which CEJA actively contributed, ensuring the voices of young farmers were heard throughout the process.?
The strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture delivered several important outputs for young farmers, including:?
Read more in our Press release here.?
The report will serve as a basis to draw the 100-day Vision for Agriculture and Food of the next Commissioner for Agriculture and Food as stated in the mission letter addressed by European Commission President von der Leyen to Commissioner designate Christophe Hansen.??
CEJA followed the reception of the report closely and published a fact-checking post on different headlines associated to the report.
Back to working group for our Young Farmers?
On September 23rd and 24th, Young Farmers from all over Europe were back in Brussels for the first working group after the summer break. This working group was marked by discussion about the outcomes of the Strategic Dialogue with an exchange on the process with Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle and Ricard Ramon from DG AGRI. The Future of the CAP was also discussed with the finalisation of the position paper on Farm economics and Social inclusion and the start of the discussion on the Green Architecture.??
Mental Health and Working conditions were at the heart of the second day of the working group with the participation of our Young Farmers to the Final Conference of the FARMRes project and an ad-hoc discussion about working conditions in agriculture.??
The working group was closed by an ad-hoc discussion on the Directive on Unfair Trading Practices where young farmers were invited to share their experiences when it comes to the transposition and the implementation of the Directive in their respective Member States and in cross-border cases. Based on the situation on the ground, young farmers drew a list of recommendations for upcoming improvement of the Directive.?
FARMRes Final Conference: A Call to Action for Mental Health in Agriculture?
On Tuesday, September 24th, the FARMRes project held its final conference, spotlighting the urgent issue of mental health in agriculture. The event brought together experts, farmers, policymakers, and advocates to explore innovative solutions and create a supportive environment for mental well-being in rural communities.?
Key highlights included a powerful keynote speech from Sandra Gallina (Director General of DG SANTE) and Peter Meedendorp (CEJA President), who shared personal insights. Lies Messely ( ILVO (Instituut voor Landbouw, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek) ), David Christian Rose ( Harper Adams University ), and Finola Colgan Carey B.A LL. B LL.M ( Mental Health Ireland ) addressed the stressors affecting farmers' mental health while Elena Schubert (DG Agri), Sarah ?ztürk (ENASP), Virve Hindstr?m (MTK-Satakunta), and Rūdolfs Pulkstenis ( CEJA Young Farmers ) discussed the role of institutions, social protection systems, and local communities in mental well-being of farmers in two inspiring panel discussions under the expert-led moderation of Natasha Foote .?
Mario Béjar Fuentes (he/him) provided a heartfelt overview of the FARMRes journey, presenting an open letter of commitment, urging stakeholders to adopt its principles to continue advocating for better mental health in agriculture. The conference concluded with inspiring remarks from Secretary General Marion Picot . ??
The event also marked the launch of the FARMRes app, a valuable tool offering resources for mental health support. The conference may have ended, but the mission to improve mental health in agriculture continues. Let’s keep pushing for positive change in rural communities!?
Missed the event???
You can watch the full recording of the event and explore the FARMRes app.
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Our Presidency on the move: Informal Council of Agricultural Ministers in Budapest and Visit to the G7.??
The Presidency of CEJA was also on the move this month. On the second week of September, CEJA President Peter Meedendorp and CEJA Vice-President Katharina Schobersberger attended the Informal Council of Agricultural Ministers in Budapest.??
?CEJA President Peter Meedendorp addressed the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), highlighting the political, ideological, and technical complexities of the discussions. He praised stakeholders for advancing concrete proposals and emphasized the unanimous support for generational renewal from the recent strategic dialogue and articulated the aspirations of young farmers. Furthermore, he called for the CAP to be competitive, crisis-proof, sustainable, farmer-friendly, and knowledge-based through targeted income support, improved risk management, and incentives for environmental practices.?
Stressing the CAP's critical role in achieving economic productivity, environmental care, and social inclusion, he urged a holistic approach to the upcoming reform. With key priorities such as fostering a balanced value chain, establishing a robust crisis management framework, enhancing access to financing and knowledge, and promoting social cohesion.?
Our president reaffirmed CEJA’s commitment to contributing to the future of the CAP and urged all institutions to collaborate in developing a practical and ambitious policy.?
Press release and CEJA President’s speech here.
Last week, CEJA Vice President Katharina Schobersberger participated in the G7 Minister Meeting on Agriculture in Siracusa, Italy, focusing on global agricultural challenges. During a first-of-its-kind young hackathon, she shared insights on generational renewal, food security, and the role of innovation and technology in addressing climate change.?
The outcomes were presented to G7 agriculture ministers and commissioners, highlighting the shared values and challenges faced by young farmers worldwide. Katharina represented CEJA and emphasised the importance of fostering collaboration among international stakeholders.?
For more details, view the final report of the G7 agriculture meeting.
A New college of Commissioner designates?
On September 17th, the list of Commissioner designates, and their respective portfolios were unveiled. Commissioner designate Christophe Hansen for Agriculture and Food from Luxembourg was addressed a mission letter by President Ursula von der Leyen in which he has been entrusted with the mission of fostering a sustainable and resilient EU agricultural sector. His mission includes the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to ensure targeted support for farmers while balancing incentives and regulations that promote ecosystem services.?
He is tasked with strengthening farmers' positions in the food value chain through the revision of the Directive on Unfair Trading Practices. Hansen is expected to establish an EU-wide sustainability benchmarking system, a new approach to sustainability for better coherence. Additionally, his mission emphasises the need for generational renewal by enhancing access to capital for young farmers and encouraging new entrants into the sector. Enhancing climate resilience by creating tools for climate risk preparedness and crisis management are also main issues addressed in the mission letter.??
Commissioners designates Wopke Hoekstra from the Netherlands, Jessika Roswall from Sweden and Olivér Várhelyi from Hungary were respectively assigned the “Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth”, “Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy” and “Health and Animal Welfare” portfolios in their Mission letters.??
You can find out more about the new college of Commissioner designates: here.
What to expect in October???
Young Farmers in the European Parliament?
At the October Working Group, Young Farmers will visit the European Parliament and exchange with COMAGRI MEPs.???
?Commissioners designate in front of the EP Committees?
The Commissioners-designate will appear in public hearings at the European Parliament in the upcoming weeks. After that, the Commission as a whole needs to be approved in a single vote of consent by the European Parliament. Depending on the result of the hearings, it might take several rounds to have an approved College of Commissioner. CEJA will follow the evolvement of the situation closely.??
Upon approval by the European Parliament, the European Council, acting by qualified majority, will be able to formally appoint the College of Commissioners.?
That's all for September. Stay updated with our latest activities! Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to the newsletter.?
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.