News

The European Commission proposes to allow EU farmers to avail of derogations for the year 2024 from Common Agricultural Policy rules obliging them to keep certain areas non-productive. The Commission's proposal, sent to Member States who will vote on it in a committee meeting, provides a first concrete policy response to address farmers' income concerns. It also follows requests outlined by several Member States in Agriculture Council meetings.

“Calais-Caudry lace” is now approved as a Geographical Indication by the INPI, bringing the number of geographical indications to 17 since the system came into force. Another notable fact is that this is the first geographical indication for the Hauts-de-France region.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has launched the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, a new forum mandated to shape a shared vision for the future of the EU's farming and food system.

The European Commission will allocate €185.9 million in 2024 to fund promotion activities for sustainable and high-quality EU agri-food products at home and abroad. The 2024 promotion policy work programme adopted by the Commission aims to develop new market opportunities, while taking into account the political priorities, analysis of projected exports to existing and emerging markets, as well as contributions from stakeholders.

Join the first SafeHabitus webinar on “Views from the fields: case-studies of migrant workers experiences in the European Agriculture” that will take place on 15 November, from 10:00am to 11:45am, Brussels time. Please register online here.

The CAP framework offers multiple opportunities to support rural areas in creative ways beyond agricultural activities. It funds, among other things, investments in non-farming activities and infrastructures, cooperation activities, via LEADER notably, and the setting-up of new rural businesses.

The European Committee of the Regions is conducting this survey to gather valuable insights on the forthcoming CoR own initiative Opinion on "Promoting cultural policies in rural areas within the framework of development and territorial cohesion strategies and the 2030 agenda." The purpose of this survey is to understand your views, ideas, and comments regarding the importance of cultural policies in rural regions, with a special focus on bio-cultural areas connecting biodiversity and culture.

Without payments from the Common Agricultural Policy, large shares of areas with natural constraints - such as mountains, or land in dry or cold territories - would be at risk of abandonment. Direct payments and investments under rural development funds help maintain farming and rural livelihood in these special areas.

The finalists of the 2023 edition of the EU Organic Awards have been announced today. The three best projects have been selected for each of the 8 individual awards, with a total of 24 finalists from 11 EU countries.

The finalists were selected from a pool of close to 100 applications from all over Europe, with a higher presence of Central European and Baltic entries compared to last year.

The winners will be announced at the official award ceremony to be held in Brussels on 25 September.

In addition to input costs remaining above long-term average and some agricultural commodity prices declining, EU farmers have had to face diverse and difficult weather conditions in spring, leading to reduced yield projections and quality for several agricultural commodities. However, some early signs of improvements are arising at the horizon. For example, fertilisers have become more affordable following the drop in natural gas prices. While still above the general inflation rate, EU food inflation starts to stabilise.