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The president of the influential farmers’ union FNSEA expressed regret at Paris’s lack of involvement in forming the new European Commission at a press conference on Thursday (August 29) and urged French politicians to actively re-engage in Brussels.
“France does not have a sufficient presence in Brussels in the formation of the future commission and in the selection of new commissioners,” Arnaud Rousseau, president of the National Federation of Agricultural Exploiters’ Unions (FNSEA), France’s largest farmers’ union, said at a press conference on Thursday (August 29).
Rousseau also urged national authorities to help those who suffered the lowest levels this summer. Grain harvest 40 years later disease Affecting their livestock.
At the press conference, leaders of the FNSEA and the Young Farmers Organization (Jeunes Agriculteurs, JA) presented a series of proposal for Major agricultural policy laws, This was a commitment made by the previous government but has not yet been approved by the French parliament.
Rousseau complained bitterly that his country had been ignored in discussions about EU issues since the European Parliament elections. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
Next Specialist
He stressed that the future of the European Commission and the role of the next agriculture commissioner were topics that “should be discussed more and more in France.”
Currently, only one candidate has some experience in agricultural policy, making him a potential candidate for the post: Luxembourg’s Christophe Hansen.
When asked if Hansen was suitable for the commissioner position, the union leader responded that “we want a man or woman with a lot of political power,” suggesting he was unwilling to take a position on a candidate.
He believes that the selection of the commissioner is particularly important because, as he pointed out in a report Interview with Euractivmost Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) with experience in agricultural issues were not re-elected.
“In Brussels, experience helps influence political decisions,” Rousseau explained. Although he welcomed the arrival of Valerie Haye (Renew) and Céline Imart (EPP), who will be responsible for agricultural issues, their influence will always be “less than that of MEPs who have served one or two terms.”
Food Import Control
The EU is discussing agricultural policy. He noted that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “never talked about agriculture in her first years in office, but now it has suddenly become a core issue for her and I say let’s discuss it,” he said.
The first opportunity is the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, launched by the European Commission January 2024.
Although the results of the dialogue are expected to be announced soon, Rousseau insisted that it still needs to be discussed whether the policy will form the basis of the next round of the common agricultural policy, or whether it will be debated or even modified by the new policymakers. The union leader said, “This is still to be discussed.”
This fall, FNSEA will focus on two issues in particular: fair treatment of farmers in the food chain and control of food imports.
The farmers’ group said only 3% of food arriving in the EU is inspected and 15% does not meet European standards.
Rousseau stressed that the issue of food imports should be resolved “before talking about trade agreements.”
He said current Agriculture Minister Marc Fechneau was “doing quite well in Brussels” despite “a more difficult economic environment than under his predecessor Julien Denormandy”.
Asked what qualities he would like in the next French minister, Rousseau replied: “All I need is for France to have influence in Brussels.”
(Angelo Di Mambro/Editing by Rajneesh Singh)
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