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Local food systems in the future EU regulation – State of play

Frédérique LORENZI

21 April 2013 – Crisan – RuralEst

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1 – Rationale for an EU support to Local food systems (LFS)

● While food security is not a real challenge in Europe …

● There is a major « food issue » in relation to

environmental protection and land management all over Europe

● Moreover, there are concerns related to quality and safety (falling under the Single Market regulations)

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2 – Conditions to ensure LFS sustainability

● Internal conditions:

♦ economic and environmental viability

♦ good farming practices linked to environment and land management

● External conditions:

♦ inclusion in a comprehensive territorial project (rural, urban or metropolitan)

♦ inclusion in an integrated project (leasure, tourism, education, gastronomy, branding …)

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3 – EU support to LFS - EAFRD

● Focused measures:

♦ Among the list of 6 Union priorities for rural development:

enhancing competitiveness of all types of agriculture …

promoting food chain organisation… with a focus on : local markets and short supply circuits

promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas

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3 – EU support to LFS - EAFRD

● Focused measures:

♦ Possible identification of specific sub-programmes (for young farmers, small farms, mountainous areas, LFS) which may benefit from increased EU funding (+ 10 points)

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3 – EU support to LFS - EAFRD

● Flanking measures (CAP):

♦ Quality scheme

♦ Support to small farms and young farmers

♦ Support to different types of cooperation between producers or along the food chain

● Flanking measures (out of CAP):

♦ Health and safety regulation

♦ Competition policy

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4 – Current state of play (negotiations in the Council)

● Core priorities for the MS in the negotiations:

♦ 1st priority: to alleviate the mandatory dimension of the EU proposals

♦ 2nd priority: to gain support for domestic interest issues

● It leads:

♦ to enlarge the list of favoured measures (5th sub-programme “sustainable agriculture” + “climate change, renewable energies, water management and biodiversity measures” may benefit an increase of 10 % points of EU funding)

♦ to delete any kind of precise commitments (optional)

=> to water-down the level of ambitions

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4 – Current state of play (negotiations in the EP)

● Core priorities for the EP:

♦ 1st priority: enlarge the scope of sustainable development

♦ 2nd priority: take into account consumer views

● It leads:

♦ to the same kind of result (in the definition “LFS + local market + direct sales”; 5th sub-programme “women in rural areas”; as regards the increase of EU funding “notably” )