The European Commission puts the European Committee of Agriculture on track: what is its role?

The European Commission creates a European Committee for Agriculture and Food chaired by Christophe Hansen, the Commissioner for Food and Agriculture. This advisory body aims to support “a new culture of dialogue, trust and multi-stakeholder participation among actors in the food supply chain and civil society, as well as with the Commission”. It must provide “high-level” advice to the Commission on the follow-up to the report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture and must contribute to the work on the vision of the future of agriculture and food, to be presented within the first 100 days of the mandate.

As a reminder, the Strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture launched in January 2024, brought together major stakeholders from the European agri-food sectors, civil society, rural communities and academia to achieve a common understanding and vision for the future of agricultural system and food of the Union.

Read also: What is the roadmap for Christophe Hansen, the new European Commissioner for Agriculture?

Created for five years

The Committee is created for a duration of five years and should in principle meet between two and six times a year. Commissioner Hansen may convene the group for additional meetings if advice is urgently needed. Its members are encouraged to promote understanding and the exchange of experiences among themselves and to pay particular attention to the coherence and synergy of European Union policies as well as their compatibility with private sector initiatives.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission said: “The European Agriculture and Food Committee must tackle the full complexity of the agri-food value chain, supporting our farmers and a more resilient, competitive and sustainable agri-food system”.

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The committee will be made up of 30 member organizations

And call for applications is published today to appoint the members of the committee. It will be composed of a maximum of 30 member organizations representing three categories of stakeholders: agricultural communityother actors in the food supply chain or civil society, including in areas such as environment and climate, animal welfare or consumer issues. These three categories of stakeholders should be represented in a balanced manner within this group.

Organizations applying must demonstrate that they have very broad and relevant skills and expertise in areas relevant to l’agriculture and food at the level of the European Union, and ensure a very high geographical representativeness of the Member States.