The next plenary session of the European Parliament will be held from June 12 to 15, 2023, in Strasbourg. One of the topics on the Parliament’s agenda will be the Report of the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) on ensuring food security and long-term resilience of EU agriculture.

The issues of food and food security, ensuring access to healthy, sustainable food for consumers, ensuring the sustainability and resilience of supply chains and food production to geopolitical events and the climate crisis have divided EU policymakers and generated much heated debate. Since the outbreak of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, one of the largest political groups, the European People’s Party, wants to postpone the necessary agricultural reforms in the spirit of Farm 2 Fork and is betting on economic rather than social and climate strengthening of agricultural production in the EU, separating climate policies from food system transformation.

The rapporteur of the report is Marlene Mortler, a Member of the European Parliament from the faction of the European People’s Party (EPP, the faction includes Members.of the Civic Coalition).
„The goals of the European Green Deal must be implemented in such a way that food security is not compromised and environmental, economic and social sustainability is ensured. Now it looks like the European Commission is finding it difficult to listen to farmers’ concerns,” she said in May 2023. Marlene Mortler. The faction is clearly betting on greater use of agricultural land and no restrictions on the agro-industry, despite the fact that the climate crisis is intensifying and the current situation calls for strong implementation of the ambitions of the Farm to Table strategy.

The report could be a very important step, many important amendments to the text stating the need to move to crop production for people, to develop and implement legislation for a sustainable food system were submitted by Members of other groups, including Greens/EFA.
The debate and vote on the report will take place on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
Credit: canva