Reforming the EU ETS: give it some work!

The European Commission is due to deliver a Vision for Agriculture and Food, within the first 100 days of its new mandate. Feeding into this work, the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture (SDFA) published its report “A shared prospect for farming and food in Europe” in September. The spending under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and its alignment with the climate goals agreed at the EU level will be central to the next steps.  

Putting Agricultural Risk Management on the Agenda 

In recent years agriculture has been hit by numerous crisis in France: adverse climatic events (primarily droughts, floods, and frost) and health crisis (notably avian flu), directly impacting agricultural production. Broader crisis, such as COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have also indirectly but significantly affected the agricultural sector. Climate change, the ongoing Ukraine conflict, and overall geopolitical tensions suggest that these crisis and their impacts will become a lasting pattern in the future. These are crucial factors to consider when defining and strengthening food sovereignty. 

The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will audition the European Commissioner-designates in early November. The hearings are a crucial moment to seek commitment from the EU’s next executive team on the priorities for the coming five years and how they will delivered – including on the urgent issue of investment in the climate transition.