Commission Archives - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Spilling Europe’s Dirty Secrets: Uncorking the Toxic Trade in Banned Pesticides

April 17, 2025 ARC

Pesticides deemed too toxic for Europe are still being produced here and sold abroad to be sprayed on fields where farm workers live, work, and raise their children – but these are also fields that help feed Europe. What is the human cost behind Europe’s toxic trade in banned pesticides? And, as the EU looks at ways to realign its trade standards, why does it continue to put profit over people? To uncork this double standard, ARC2020’s Natasha Foote reports from the ground in South Africa. […]

Why Simplification of CAP May Get Complicated

April 9, 2025 Natasha Foote

A simpler, streamlined EU farming subsidy programme can only be a good thing … right? Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Here, Natasha Foote digs into what we currently know about the next simplification shake up of the Common Agricultural Policy and why keeping it simple is not always so straightforward. […]

Shortsighted Vision: Unpacking EU’s new agrifood policy plans

February 20, 2025 Natasha Foote

The EU has unveiled its new Vision for Agriculture and Food which, despite the name, is not exactly what you would call ‘visionary’. So what does the EU’s new agricultural game plan envisage – or not – for the future of the sector, and does this spell the official death of the Farm to Fork strategy? Natasha Foote breaks down all you need to know. […]

LEAK: A sneak peek at the EU’s new blueprint for agrifood policy

February 13, 2025 Natasha Foote

Tough on trade, but more lax on CAP – that’s a quick summary of the EU’s new blueprint for agriculture and food, according to a leaked draft that ARC2020 got its hands on. So what’s on the menu for agrifood policy for the next 5 years? Natasha Foote takes a first look at what the Vision envisages for the sector. […]

EU’s Competitiveness Compass – North-Pointing or are Things Heading South for Agri Policy?

February 2, 2025 Natasha Foote

Competitiveness is the key word of this new Von der Leyen Commission 2.0 – and the EU’s new ‘Competitive Compass’ is supposed to steer it onto a path towards security and economic prosperity. But far from pointing North, many see it as a sign of things heading South for the green and agricultural transition over the next 5 years. Natasha Foote breaks down what you need to know. […]

Ukraine – The Elephant in the Room that Could Unlock CAP Reform

November 19, 2024 Hans Wetzels

Ukraine is on our screens every day. Still the countryside and its people mainly appear either as victims of war or as soldiers – not as citizens, workers or farmers. When it comes to its vast swaths of agricultural and rural areas, mostly the largest farming entities and their difficulties to export make it into the news. But there is a surprising rural reality in Ukraine that should play a key role when taking a closer look at what a possible EU accession after the war would mean for Ukrainians and citizens of the EU alike. […]

Commissioner-Hopefuls Hint at Road Ahead

October 29, 2024 Natasha Foote

Last week the new crop of wannabe Commissioners faced the first round of questioning from the European Parliament. Meanwhile, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council signs off (sort of) on a “farmer-focused” CAP post-2027. Plus we bring you the latest on the case building against “poison PR”. Natasha Foote reports. […]

The EU is Mulling a Seismic Budgetary Shift – What Would This Mean for Agri and Rural Areas?

October 16, 2024 Natasha Foote

The European Commission has been quietly weighing up options to radically overhaul its budget. This could see all of its 500+ biggest money pots merged into one mega money pot, divided out based on plans put together by EU countries. If approved, the move could prove seismic for European regions, farmers and rural areas – here ARC2020 maps out why. […]

Brussels News Roundup – Ombudsman Launches Inquiry into CAP Fast-Track

September 20, 2024 Natasha Foote

While all eyes this week have been on the nomination of the new crop of Commissioners, there have been plenty of other developments worth watching in Brussels this week. From the EU’s watchdog questioning the Commission over the hasty dismantling of the EU’s green farming measures, to NGOs being ignored for a key direction-setting report on the future of EU policy, ARC2020 brings you up to speed with all you need to know. […]

An Agrifood Stakeholder’s Guide to the EU’s New Power Structure

September 18, 2024 Natasha Foote

There’s a lot of new faces in new places this week in Brussels as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has finally revealed her picks and priorities for her new team of Commissioners over this next 5 year political cycle. So who will be the ones shaping the future of the agrifood sector in the years to come? Natasha Foote outlines all the main players likely to feature in the agrifood policy game to come over the next few years. […]

CAP Strategic Plans: A European Food and Agricultural Policy for Times of War

September 17, 2024 Frederic Courleux

The EU’s recent decision to tax Russian cereals over Ukrainian ones, and the maintenance of solidary lanes with Ukraine despite protests, highlights the relationship between policy and geopolitical tensions. So where next for the CAP? Frederic Courleux argues that CAP must evolve from its neoliberal framework to prioritize food security, economic stability, as well as agro-ecological sustainability. This transition includes securing trade through government-to-government agreements, fostering food stockpiling for inflation control, and integrating food aid into agricultural policies. […]

Re-CAP: Breaking down the breakdown of the EU’s green farming measures

July 28, 2024 Natasha Foote

The last few months have been a rollercoaster ride for the EU’s farming subsidy programme, which has seen its green ambitions sacrificed on the altar of food security and politics. As this mandate comes to a close, ARC has put together a re-CAP for you with all the twists and turns in the Common Agricultural Policy over the past few years – and what’s next for the policy. […]

Brussels – Who’s Got the Top Jobs and What Will They Do?

July 24, 2024 Natasha Foote

As the dust settles after the elections, what will the Commission focus on? Which politicians have secured the key roles? Who is at the helm in shaping agricultural and environmental policy over the next 5 years? News round up from Brussels by Natasha Foote. […]

“CAP-as-you-wish Instead of Future-Proof Farming and Food Policy”

May 27, 2024 ARC

There have been massive protests by farmers in many European countries in recent months. Depending on the country, different agricultural policy issues have played a role. Hannes Lorenzen, President of ARC2020, on the state and prospects of EU agricultural policy. This interview originally appeared in the German magazine “Unabhängige Bauernstimme”. […]

What the EU farmers survey tells us – and doesn’t tell us – about CAP burden

May 8, 2024 Natasha Foote

For months, we have been hearing about the bureaucratic burden that has been pushing EU farmers to the brink. Now, the preliminary results of a Commission survey designed to unpack this are in – so does this administrative load turn out to be heavy enough to justify the hasty re-opening of the EU’s farming subsidy programme? Natasha Foote digs in. […]