| The “strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture” has entered its final stages. The 29 food sector representatives invited to the roundtable, set up by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to “tackle polarisation” in the sector, will discuss a draft version of the dialogue’s conclusions next week. Previous meetings have been marked by conflicting opinions and only superficial agreements, sources close to the talks told Euractiv. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the participants will meet in the last plenary sessions to discuss the document prepared by the initiative’s chairman, Professor Peter Strohschneider. Hot topics include sustainability, livestock, trade, and food innovation. Little progress was made at the most recent meetings at the end of July. The final shape of the conclusions is, therefore, still “difficult to foresee”, one source said. While additional discussions were not off the table, the source told Euractiv that von der Leyen and Strohschneider had decided to rule them out and to have the dialogue’s final report as soon as possible. The most likely date for the much-awaited document is 2 September, according to the source. The stakes couldn’t be higher. The challenge is to put down on paper what the future of food and farming in the bloc should look like. It is no small feat. According to von der Leyen’s guidelines for her second term as European Commission chief, the goal of the 2024-29 mandate is to ensure “the long-term competitiveness and sustainability” of the EU’s farming sector “within the boundaries of our planet”. With this ambition in mind, the conclusion of the strategic dialogue will mark the start of a process that will determine the political direction and the legislative path of substantial Commission initiatives, such as the proposal for a new multiannual budget (known as the Multiannual Financial Framework or MFF) and the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Von der Leyen will use the stakeholders’ recommendations for her upcoming “Vision for Agriculture and Food”, which she has promised to unveil during the first 100 days of her second mandate – so before March 2025. A few months later, by 1 July at the latest, the Commission will have to present a proposal for the next MFF, which will earmark the funds for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2027. Let’s not forget that when the strategic dialogue was launched in January, farmers’ protests were shaking up EU politics. On top of that, the European Parliament elections were just around the corner. In this context, the promotion of dialogue was somewhat necessary. It could also be argued that von der Leyen’s initiative was more of a diversionary tactic, a way to cool things down, buy some time and avoid further heating up the election campaign. Either way, it is now clearer than ever that the conclusions of the initiative will have important political consequences for the sector. It is in the hands of the 29 individuals around the table who will soon be putting pen to paper to overcome divisions. | 