Clingendael hosts high-level conference on a resilient vision for European agriculture

On Wednesday, 2 April, the Clingendael Institute hosted a high-level conference on A Resilient Vision for European Agriculture. The conference brought together over 80 representatives from the agri-food sector, policymakers, researchers, and experts from different EU Member States. They discussed how EU policy can secure a resilient, competitive, and sustainable agricultural system for the future.

The conference aimed to assess how current EU policies in the agricultural and food sector contribute to the sector’s resilience, and to identify what policy changes or new instruments may be needed to align with the Vision of the European Commission.

In a series of panels, speakers and participants discussed the role of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), policies for international trade and value chains, climate policy and the effects on agri-food, and the impact of a potential EU enlargement with Ukraine.

Highlights included:

• A keynote panel featuring Iman Boot (European Commission, DG AGRI), Sjoukje Heimovaara (Wageningen University & Research), Menno Middeldorp (RaboResearch), and Louise van Schaik (Clingendael Institute), who set the tone with a strategic outlook on how resilience and food security are interlinked.
• A candid discussion on future-proofing the CAP, in which young farmers, policy advisors, and researchers debated how to balance competing priorities, including Gerben Boom (NAJK), Harald Grethe (Agora Agriculture), Pieter Zwaan (Clingendael Institute), Anne-Margreet Sas (Netherlands Permanent Representation to the EU), and David Baldock (IEEP).
• Forward-looking exchanges on international trade and climate policy, with insights from former Polish Minister Marcin Korolec, CONCITO’s Johannes Flatz from Denmark, Klaas Johan Osinga (LTO NL), and Marjoleine Hennis (Clingendael Institute).
• A timely session on the potential impact of Ukraine’s EU accession, with Carolien Spaans (Netherlands Embassy in Ukraine), Elsa Regnier (IDDRI, France), Nazar Bobitski (Ukrainian Agribusiness Club), and Camille van Hees (Clingendael Institute) outlining both opportunities and challenges.
• Closing remarks by thought leader Pierre-Marie Aubert from IDDRI.

The event displayed the synergies between the Common Agricultural Policy, trade policy, climate targets, and EU enlargement. New ideas created during the conference will feed into Clingendael’s ongoing work on European agriculture and inform future conversations between key stakeholders.