The European Union and the United States have concluded negotiations to adjust the European Union’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) agricultural quotas, following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. This is the culmination of two years of negotiations in the WTO framework to divide these EU quotas, with part of the volume remaining with the EU […]
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Climate change adaptation: key to the future of EU agricultural imports
Stepping up European Union (EU) support for international adaptation, together with trade diversification are key actions the EU can take to lessen the impacts of climate change on agricultural trade, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing. limate change is projected to affect agriculture in Europe and around the globe, altering growing conditions, production […]
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Towards a sustainable EU recovery by strengthening the SDGs
To discuss ways to accelerate action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a sustainable recovery, the EESC Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment held a debate. The debaje has turned around the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2020. The report is a joint initiative by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and […]
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Support for the Andalusian agricultural sector
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Junta de Andalucía have joined forces once again to support and promote the development of Andalusia’s agricultural sector, which in addition to historically facing a funding gap of over €1 billion a year, has also been affected by factors including Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU bank […]
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Artificial meet: from lab to fork, a sustainable alternative
Globally, the consumption of animal-based foods is expected to increase in the coming decades because of the combined effects of several global megatrends. The global population increased from 2.5 billion in 1950 to 7.7 billion in mid-2019 and is expected to reach 9.7 billion people in 2050 (UN, 2019). Meanwhile, global economic development, urbanisation and […]
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Council agrees its position on the next EU common agricultural policy
Today, the Council agreed its negotiating position (general approach) on the post-2020 common agricultural policy (CAP) reform package. This agreed position puts forward some strong commitments from member states for higher environmental ambition with instruments like mandatory eco-schemes (a novelty compared to the current policy) and enhanced conditionality. At the same time, the agreed position […]
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Results from the last EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council
Last 21 September, Ministers met in Brussels and advanced discussions on the post 2020 common agriculture policy (CAP) reform package in the view of adopting the Council’s general approach in October 2020. They also discussed trade-related agricultural issues with a particular focus on recent and upcoming negotiations of free trade agreements with third countries. One […]
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Commission prepares new initiatives to boost the organic farming sector
The European Commission has today launched a public consultation on its future Action Plan on Organic Farming. It is a priority for the Commission to ensure that the organic farming sector has the right tools in place as well as a well-functioning and consensual legal framework which is key to achieving the objective of 25% […]
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AU-EU agrifood platform: reinforcing the link between the EU and African private sectors
Ahead of its official launch, introductory talks on the African Union-European Union agri-food platform was held on 25 June 2020 during an online event organised by the European Commission, the African Union and European Business Ghana. The participants set the scene, assessed the platform’s aims and highlighted the role of farmers and rural youth in […]
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