As the European Union gears up for the upcoming elections taking place from 6-9th June, Copa and Cogeca have today released their European Election Manifesto during its general assembly meeting and in the presence of representatives of all the lead European political groups. Crafted with learning from the 2019-2024 mandate and with the aim of regaining a strategic thinking for EU agricultural, the manifesto outlines seven key priorities for the European Commission's next term of office, accompanied by four enablers crucial for getting agriculture back on track.  

“Agriculture has always been a cornerstone of the European project, playing a strategic role in the economy and ensuring food autonomy for the EU. However, as challenges mount for the agricultural sector, it's crucial to refocus on rural areas and agriculture to regain the EU's agricultural compass. The recent surge in farming protests underscores the urgency of this issue, highlighting the need for the European Union to prioritise rural areas and agriculture in its policy agenda” said Lennart Nilsson, Cogeca President, whilst introducing the manifesto. 

The document presented lists the many challenges facing agriculture during the 2024-2029 term of office, showing the need for the EU to establish priorities to prepare the 2030 agriculture. Copa and Cogeca set out 7 major priorities in its manifesto, as well as a number of concrete policy proposals, which will be presented in greater detail during the European election campaign. 

In addition to the key priorities, the document identifies four cross-EU policy enablers based on the main lessons learnt from the current mandate. Copa and Cogeca calls for a real review of the agricultural budget to align environmental, geopolitical and financial ambitions. This should only be achievable following a global impact assessment of current agricultural policies at the beginning of the next mandate, as well as feasibility studies on new proposals. The European farming organisations also stress the growing need for coherence between the EU's trade policy and its ambitions for the internal market. Finally, from an institutional point of view, Copa and Cogeca presents two strong demands: a European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Areas with the role of Vice-President, and a strengthening of the strategic dialogue groups as a long-term strategic dialogue tool for the Commission. 

“During the 2019-2024 term, we have had to deal with a regulatory tsunami in agricultural matters with the policies arising from the Green Deal. In the next mandate, we want less regulation but better ones, with less of a top-down approach, properly funded and focusing on the on-ground enforcement. We know that this is possible, we see it today with the strategic dialogue. We remain convinced Europeans and we call on all rural voters to mobilise for this election!” said Christiane Lambert, Copa President, in her conclusion.