The EU’s agri-food sector is at a crossroads, faced with a rapidly changing world environment impacting demand (food inflation), supply (energy and input costs) and trade (geostrategic tensions) of agricultural commodities and food products. The EU economy is also at the crossroads, with identified weaknesses in competitiveness, productivity and gaps in innovation and labour skills impacting its adjustment to the tsunami of global economic, environmental, social and geostrategic tensions and challenges – much affected by the election of US president Trump. The paradox is that, while the Draghi Report omitted any reference to the EU’s agri-food sector, despite the latter’s acknowledged critical importance of food security, the latest demonstrated competitiveness (huge trade surplus), innovation (in technologies throughout the food chain) and the reduction in its emissions (unlike the trends in other EU competitors). It is within this context that the debate about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union will take place. The Webinar aims at shedding light on the main parameters impacting this debate at EU level and their implications for EU agriculture, which continues to be one of the greatest beneficiaries of the CAP at EU level. In the discussion, particular reference will be made to the case of Greece.
Panel
Tassos Haniotis, Senior Guest Research Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Anastasia Kannavou, Senior Policy Advisor
Charalampos Kasimis, Professor Emeritus, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Agricultural University of Athens
Alan Matthews, Professor Emeritus, European Agricultural Policy, Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Moderator
Manos Matsaganis, Professor, Polytechnic University of Milan; Head of the Greek & European Economy Programme, ELIAMEP