The Austrian delegation's call to the next European Commission, 10.07.2024.

Europe's agriculture and forestry sectors are not limited to food production and the supply of raw materials alone:

– They are the principal driving forces behind a competitive, thriving and innovative European Union. Agriculture and food production in the European Union provide more than 12 million jobs and generate gross value added of EUR 178 billion a year for the EU economy [1]. Europe's forestry sector provides 17.5 million jobs across Europe, and the combined gross value added of Europe's forestry and wood industries reaches EUR 1.1 trillion [2].

– They are essential pillars of the European Union's strategic autonomy. Food security and energy independence through agricultural and forest biomass and the bioeconomy are of strategic value and contribute substantially to the Union's security and strategic autonomy while reducing external dependencies. Agriculture and forestry underpin the green transition and deliver the “4Fs” – food, feed, fuel and fibre – to meet growing demand for renewable raw materials. These can only be secured if production is maintained and promoted within Europe, which is particularly important in light of the current geopolitical situation.

– They are the mainstay of vital rural areas, which are the foundation of the European way of life, identity and cultural traditions. This has a positive effect on jobs and economic strength across the whole value chain, including but not limited to sustainable tourism, as well as on the green and digital transitions.

The substantial contribution of agriculture and forestry to the European Union's prosperity is the result of the persistent work of farmers and foresters throughout the European Union. Building on their continuous commitment to raising environmental, animal welfare and social standards, Europe's farmers are a global benchmark for sustainable agricultural practice. Likewise, sustainable forest management has long been the EU standard. Over recent decades the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has provided farmers with much-needed support. With the latest CAP reform, the European agricultural sector once again set new and high standards and targets in order to strike the right balance between economic, ecological and social sustainability, thereby fostering the development of sustainable food systems as a whole.

There is no doubt that the agricultural sector will continue to deliver food security and public goods, such as dynamic rural areas, while also generating ecosystem services for a healthy and prosperous environment. However, in order to advance the Union's sovereignty and long-term competitiveness successfully, farmers and the agricultural sector need a stable and predictable framework. Ever-new and stricter requirements on agricultural production, together with a difficult and challenging market situation overall, will weaken and jeopardise these key strategic sectors. Moreover, any general assessment must take account of the natural constraints on environment-related sectors such as agriculture and of their essential contribution to shaping our natural environment. Unlike in other fields, emissions generated in agriculture arise largely from natural processes and can therefore only be reduced to a certain degree.

The undersigned reiterate that every European legal framework or initiative must protect and safeguard the ability of the agriculture and forestry sectors to fulfil their many functions, thereby contributing to a stronger European Union.

In view of this, the delegations supporting this initiative call on the next Commission to:

– commit to a robust Common Agricultural Policy, securing fair incomes for farmers and viable rural areas so as to guarantee food security and prosperity for citizens and social cohesion, particularly in rural areas, and to promote environmentally friendly, biodiversity-enhancing farming practices with the aim of contributing to climate change mitigation – as set out in the Strategic Agenda approved on 28 June 2024;

– recognise the contribution of the CAP and of national strategic plans to supporting more sustainable farming practices, which provides an appropriate basis for further efforts towards the “green transition” within the CAP after 2027; recognise agriculture's natural limits in its capacity to produce without emissions and its vital role in ensuring food security for EU citizens, and therefore set requirements tailored to its needs and to the unique role of the agricultural sector, without jeopardising European food production;

– call on the ESCO to take a pragmatic approach to achieving climate neutrality in 2050 and to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the “Green Deal” legislation and its cumulative impact on EU agriculture and forestry, accompanied by an action plan to encourage active and sustainable agricultural production and forest management, while preserving EU agricultural and forest land throughout its territory, including in areas with natural constraints;

– take account of the benefits offered by the bioeconomy, which depends on the services provided by the agriculture and forestry sectors, and enable its potential to be fully realised by replacing fossil raw materials and fossil fuels with wood products and promoting carbon storage in them.

– promote active sustainable forest management in order to adapt forests to climate change and increase their resilience.

– rigorously review the date of application of the deforestation regulation and properly address the serious problems associated with its implementation;

– focus on simplified and less bureaucratic requirements for farmers, boosting competitiveness and strengthening their position in the food value chain;

– review the protection status of large predators such as wolves and bears, which threaten traditional and extensive agricultural production systems.

– recognise the importance of traditional and extensive agricultural production systems and their benefits for sustainable food systems, biodiversity, the conservation of mountains and mountain pastures, as well as for protection against natural disasters and for sustainable tourism.

[1] https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/document/download/0e9e4948-8398-41fa-a209-23373cee3324_en

[2] The economic impact of forestry and the wood industry on the bioeconomy in Europe (bml.gv.at)