— The director of the Galicia Europa Foundation office in Brussels opened a new edition of the ‘Encontros virtuais Xunta-UE’, focused on one of the European policies with the largest budgetary weight

— In more than 40 sessions held within this debate forum, over 500 representatives of the Galician government were able to learn firsthand about the European priorities with the most significant impact on Galicia

Brussels, October 29, 2024. Ana Ramos, the director of the Brussels office of the Galicia Europa Foundation (FGE), opened the October session of the ‘Encontros Virtuais Xunta-UE’ cycle, the debate forum between the Galician government and European institutions. The meeting was dedicated to discussing the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), one of the European policies alongside cohesion that holds the largest share of the EU’s long-term budget. Specifically, it represents the 31% of the total, with €387 billion. 

The director of the FGE office in Brussels recalled that the current CAP is already oriented towards a more equitable, ecological, and results-based agricultural policy, with support for farmers’ income, measures to ensure food security, and concern for the sustainability of rural areas without neglecting environmental protection. However, Ana Ramos warned that the proposal for the financial framework beyond 2027 must incorporate lessons learned from the health crisis and the war in Ukraine. 

Considering the political guidelines presented last July by re-elected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ramos explained that the new CAP must strike a proper balance between incentives, investments, and regulation. Preparatory debates are already taking place, centred around the report led by Professor Peter Strohschneider, whose conclusions will guide the work of the new European Commission executive on agriculture and food. This document will be presented within the first 100 days of von der Leyen’s second mandate. 

In this month’s session, Ricard Ramón i Sumoy, Deputy Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Agriculture (DG AGRI) of the European Commission, was in charge of providing the European perspective. Ramos thanked him for his second participation in the ‘Encontros virtuais Xunta-UE’, as he had previously participated in 2020 to discuss the CAP’s green architecture. To present the Galician perspective and experience, Juan José Cerviño Varela, director of the Galician Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FOGGA) and Director-General of the CAP and Food Chain Control of the Xunta de Galicia, participated, presenting the steps that Galicia is taking to become a leader region in the transition towards a greener, more competitive, and resilient new CAP. 

Encontros virtuais Xunta-UE

More than 500 representatives of the Galician government have participated in over 40 sessions of the ‘Encontros virtuais Xunta-UE’ held over the past four years. This initiative by the Galicia Europa Foundation originated during the COVID crisis, to inform about the EU’s response and the design of the 2021-2027 programming period, and has evolved into a monthly forum to discuss the most relevant topics on the EU’s agenda for Galicia. 

Máis información: Strategic Dialogue Report on the Future of EU Agriculture (FGE)