European Commission, Commitments for the Green Transition
The European Commission intends to guarantee sustainable agriculture from an economic, social and environmental point of view. A concrete commitment: 40% of the budget of the new CAP is destined for climate actions, Farm to Fork is the European strategy created to guide towards the sustainability of food systems. The goals to be achieved by 2030 are very ambitious and, despite the economic and social crisis triggered by the pandemic, the Green Deal remains a central pillar of Europe’s growth and recovery strategy.
The agri-food system is in the dock for the emission of greenhouse gases. Farm to Fork is the first European strategy created to drive towards the sustainability of food systems. What impact can reasonably be expected? Is it a binding strategy?
The New Climate Action Plan
Sustainability is at the heart of the new CAP. The Commission’s objective is to ensure sustainable agriculture from an economic, social and environmental point of view through the new CAP. It is a concrete commitment, also testified by the choice to allocate 40% of the budget of the new CAP to climate actions.
Together with the diversity strategy, the Farm to Fork strategy is at the heart of the Green Deal initiative and aims at a new and better balance between nature, food systems and biodiversity: protecting the health and well-being of people and, at the same time, strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the EU.
The strategy pursues ambitious objectives to be achieved by 2030: to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50%; reduce the use of fertilizers by 20%; reduce sales of antimicrobials for farm animals and aquaculture by 50%; allocate at least 25% of the agricultural area to organic farming.
The green transition, achievable thanks to technology and innovation, will have costs that are difficult to bear for small producers.
The Commission The Key Tools
Through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which will continue to be key tools to support the transition to sustainable food systems, while ensuring decent living conditions for farmers, fishermen and their families. It will also reward those farmers, fishermen and other operators in the food chain who have already initiated the transition to sustainable practices.
The InvestEU Fund will promote investments in the agri-food sector by reducing the risk of investments made by European companies and by facilitating access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-cap companies.
In 2019, the area under organic cultivation in many countries reached 15.8% of the Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA) at national level, a figure that places us above both the EU average and the individual European countries. The European Commission has set the target of 25% of agricultural land cultivated organically by 2030.
The Commission will present an action plan on organic farming in the coming months to help Member States stimulate both supply and demand for organic products. Furthermore, the Commission intends to stimulate consumer confidence through promotion campaigns and “green” public procurement, ie based on sustainability criteria.
Farm to Fork Strategy
Among the objectives of Farm to Fork there is also a labeling to allow consumers a more informed choice, yet precisely on this issue the clash was very hard.
As announced in the Farm to Fork strategy, the Commission intends to propose harmonized nutrition labeling for food products in the course of 2022. In addition to the usual nutritional values, the new food labels will inform consumers about the climatic, environmental and social aspects of food products. The Commission proposal will take into account the scientific advice that will be provided by the EU Food Agency based in Parma on the subject of nutrients and food groups that play an important role in our health and food choices. The new label will provide consumers with important information and will clarify the various labeling systems currently in force, which the various EU countries have also recently confronted with. The final decision, as always, will be taken by the 27 and the European Parliament, on the basis of the Commission’s proposal.
The fight against food waste and the circular economy are the other sides of the food coin.
The Farm to Fork strategy has the objective of making the production and consumption of food more sustainable, thanks to three types of measures: proposing objectives to reduce food waste by 2030, inserting information on the sustainability of products in food labels and finally by integrating the prevention of food waste into other European policies. The fight against food waste and the circular economy are fundamental elements to achieve these objectives. Reducing waste brings economic benefits to consumers and producers and also ensures greater availability of food for all. Furthermore, the less we waste, the less we will need to produce.
2021-2027 European Budget
The European Commission has proposed a long-term strategy with the Green Deal: will it remain a pillar of the European budget 2021-2027 or will the social and economic emergency force us to change course?
Generational challenges – the green and digital transition – are even more important than before the crisis. The European Green Deal inevitably remains our growth strategy and is a central pillar of our recovery. Economic recovery will have to go hand in hand with the green transition to help build a more sustainable, resilient and fairer Europe. We do this for the health of the planet, citizens and the economy. It is an investment we are making now for our future and for that of the next generations.
At least 30% of the 2021-2027 ordinary European budget and 37% of the Next Generation EU will contribute to the green and digital transition. This will help to rapidly initiate the economic recovery of Europe and its countries, through a wide range of instruments and initiatives which will be adapted to national and regional needs. Funds allocated under key instruments, such as the New Instrument for Recovery and Resilience will help unlock investment in energy efficiency and building renovation, renewable energy and its supply chains, innovative technologies such as ‘clean hydrogen, the circular economy and environmental infrastructure.
The environmental challenge can become an opportunity. The European goals are ambitious, the Sustainable Development goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda are equally ambitious.
More than ever, world leaders are focusing on measures to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth. For its part, the European Commission is convinced of the importance of building better starting from the crisis, ensuring, among other things, the effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or implementing the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and fight against climate change.
There is no room for pessimism: we owe it to future generations and today’s young people are already asking us for it, indeed they are also giving us an example.