Last month saw Hungary take over the rotating presidency of the European Council while Ursula von der Leyen was also re-elected president of the European Commission. Co-ops have responded to both changes, highlighting what they expect from the Council and the European Commission.
With negotiations for the top jobs in the Commission under way, Copa and Cogeca, the European voice of agri farmers and their co-ops, had their say on von der Leyen’s 2029 roadmap.
The two apexes welcomed the inclusion of agriculture within the roadmap, which von der Leyen presented before the European Parliament ahead of her re-election on 18 July.
“Agriculture is seen in this document as ‘a strategic asset and means, Europe is vital for global food security’,” Copa and Cogeca said in a joint statement. “We campaigned for this strategic repositioning, and we are pleased to see it being taken up this way. If the strategic direction is clear, it’s now a matter of turning this vision into concrete action.”
During her speech, von der Leyen said she would present a new European strategy for the agriculture and food sectors.
“This vision is itself based on the work currently under way within the strategic dialogue initiated at the beginning of the year, in which Copa, Cogeca and Geopa are actively participating,” said Copa and Cogeca.
Von der Leyen also promised a plan for agriculture to address the need to adapt to climate change and, in parallel, a strategy for sustainable management of the precious resource of water.
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“We must strengthen the position of our farmers in the food industry value chain,” she said. “And we need smarter incentives and more innovation and access to capital. Anyone who manages nature and biodiversity in a sustainable way and helps to balance the carbon budget must be properly rewarded,” she added.
She also promised to support the competitiveness and innovation in the agri-food sector, which includes co-operatives, and ensure a decent income for farmers.
Copa and Cogeca said additional short-term clarifications and actions were needed, “particularly on the place of agriculture within the future College of Commissioners, the level of ambition for the CAP budget, the importance of farming in EU trade policy or the way in which the Commission intends to ‘reward farmers working with nature’ and tackle the difficult issue of generational renewal in agriculture.”
Meanwhile, Cooperatives Europe, the voice of co-operative enterprises in Europe, also commented on the Hungarian Presidency Programme, particularly around the intention to support SMEs and their resilience by working on support measures, burden reduction, and better regulation.
“Cooperatives Europe welcomes this focus as these priorities align with our advocacy work to streamline and simplify business legal and reporting requirements, especially in response to recent legislative files such as the Due Diligence Directive and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive,” it said in a statement.
Another area of focus for the Hungarian presidency which is relevant to co-ops is its emphasis on reducing regional disparities and securing economic, social, and territorial cohesion.
“Co-operatives play a crucial role in territorial cohesion and socio-economic development, and we will emphasise this in our work on proximity economy over the next six months,” said Cooperatives Europe.
The apex also expressed concerns over the Hungarian programme’s focus on EU enlargement only towards the Western Balkans.
“We hope that the presidency will provide a similar level of engagement and commitment to the Eastern Partnership as well,” it said. “Cooperatives Europe will keep advocating for deeper co-operation and dialogue with that region, where many of our co-operative members conduct business, support job creation, and promote economic empowerment.”
The presidency’s programme fails to mention the social economy, something Cooperatives Europe sees as a missed opportunity.
“The scope of most actions seems to be restricted to the social integration of people with disabilities and the circular economy only.” it added. “The momentum created in 2021 by the Social Economy Action Plan must be maintained, as much remains to be done at the EU level to fully support SEOs and co-operatives equally in all member states. We will continue our advocacy work in that regard and hope for continued political support in favour of a better, fairer, and more sustainable society.”
