Setting the scene for the future of EU agriculture
The year has started with a series of important strategic announcements and actions from the European Commission to set the scene for the future of agriculture.
The year has started with a series of important strategic announcements and actions from the European Commission to set the scene for the future of agriculture.
The Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture was launched by the Commission in January 2024 and includes input from 29 major stakeholders from the European agri-food sectors, civil society, rural communities and academia to present a common understanding, further development and new perspectives for farming, food and rural areas on the continent.
The Strategic Dialogue report lists a comprehensive set of guiding political principles and recommendations that take into account the diversity and complexity of agri-food systems, including interdependencies and trade-offs which have led to the current imbalances and must be systematically addressed. Special mentions are made of the need to strengthen the position of farmers in the food value chain, the need for generational renewal and better access to and better use of knowledge and innovation. This reaffirms the Commission’s commitment to engage local actors in the design and delivery of strategies, decision-making and resource allocation for the development of their rural areas.
The European Board on Agriculture and Food (EBAF) expert group was established in January 2025, following the recommendations of the final report of the Strategic Dialogue, and is chaired by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen. The board aims to:
- provide high-level advice to the Commission on strategic policy developments for the Vision for Agriculture and Food and other policy initiatives.
- sustain a new culture of dialogue, trust and multi-stakeholder participation among the actors of the food supply chain and civil society to ensure the coherence and synergy of the Union policies and their consistency with private sector initiatives.
- advise the Commission on the preparation of policy initiatives in the fields of the future of agriculture and food and to follow up on the recommendations of the final report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture.
The selected members of EBAF include organisations representing the farming community and other actors from the food supply chain and civil society, including areas such as environment and climate, animal welfare or consumer issues.
Building on the report of the Strategic Dialogue, and in consultation with EBAF, in February 2025 the Commission launched the Vision for Agriculture and Food, which aims to foster trust and dialogue across the entire value chain within the EU and globally.
The Vision aims to secure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of the EU’s farming and food sector, making it attractive, competitive and resilient, and future-proof, and ensuring fair living and working conditions in rural areas.
The Vision emphasises close engagement with relevant institutions, farmers, food chain operators and civil society at local and regional levels, addressing their concerns and ideas. It also underlines the role the EU CAP Network will continue to play in facilitating exchanges between stakeholders.
The text notes that participatory local development tools, like LEADER/community-led local development and other forms of cooperation such as Smart Villages, which proved their efficiency, will be further strengthened.
It recognises the importance of a future-proof agri-food sector that is functioning within planetary boundaries, where farming and the food sector contribute together to the EU’s climate objectives, while preserving healthy soils, clean water and air, and protecting and restoring Europe’s biodiversity.
The Vision notes the need for an agri-food sector that values food, fosters fair working and living conditions and vibrant and well-connected rural and coastal areas, including outermost regions. These areas must have the right living and working conditions in order to attract more women and young people to agriculture and ensure the protection of workers’ rights on farms and along the food value chain. In addition, to attract more women to farming and to allow for an exchange of experience, the Commission will establish a Women in Farming platform that will strengthen women's engagement and equal opportunities in the farming sector and will serve as a forum to discuss and exchange good practices.
In 2025, the Commission will launch an updated Rural Action Plan that will be consolidated with projects, initiatives and actions from numerous EU policies to respond to the new European policy priorities post-2027. The rural proofing principle, including territorial impact assessments, will be further operationalised and sufficiently resourced at the EU level.
The Rural Pact, launched in 2021 to provide a framework for cooperation with stakeholders, will be further strengthened as the instrument for dialogue and engagement of civil society and rural communities – both in supporting implementation and policy discussions. The Commission will also take further action to address the targeted spread of disinformation in rural areas.
For more information, visit the Commission’s website.