European Economic and Social Committee

Discussions between farmers, agro-industry players, environmental groups and consumers in the twenty-seven Member States are far from easy. Fair enough – debate and bargaining for the common good is at the heart of the European integration process. We need to make sure that a robust budget for the CAP is maintained. Otherwise, is it possible that the market price will pay for all farmers' supply? Unfortunately it is not so. And we need to make sure that there are neither losers nor winners, but fair, balanced and pragmatic redistribution of financial resources among Member States, bearing in mind the agricultural diversity across the EU and that the CAP budget is an investment for the future. It is important that farmers, whether from old or new Member States, should not be hurt.

The "zero draft" summarising key issues forming the basis of the Rio+20 final agreement is a good starting point for subsequent negotiations. But it still falls far short of the hopes and ambitions of organised civil society in Europe for what could and should be achieved by the Rio process. We look to the Council, the Commission and the Parliament to be equally resolute in pressing the case for a stronger and more purposeful programme to be created at Rio, and to give our European negotiators a powerful mandate to settle for nothing less.

Over the past few days, I had the opportunity to meet a number of leaders and economic and social players from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries gathered together for the 26th meeting of ACP-EU economic and social interest groups. Under the Cotonou Agreement, the EESC is tasked with organising regular consultation with representatives of ACP economic and social players in order to strengthen ACP-EU relations. I believe that wherever and whenever possible, we can promote gradual political change. We need to support the African countries – provided this support is accompanied by economic, social and political reforms. We have to act in solidarity, and make a shift from aid to smarter development policies which include the involvement of civil society in the reform processes

On 23 May we tried to find answers to the above question. The title of the international conference: Food for everyone – towards a global deal, which we organised together with the European Commission, reflects our vision for global food security. Global players and politicians have, on so many occasions, discussed ways of banishing hunger and poverty, yet still one in six people on the planet struggles to find enough food to live on. What new inputs into global discussions emerged from the EESC conference? I would say focus and a reminder to the EU and international players that we need to stick to the commitment agreed in 2000 under the Millennium Development Goals to halve poverty and hunger by 2015. There are only about 1 300 days left!

"Nine billion people will inhabit the Earth by 2050. Each person will need water and food. Population increase, the demand for agricultural products from emerging economies and environmental changes, all intensified by food price volatility, energy demand and urbanisation are just a few of the challenges of global food security. These challenges are complex and the solutions must be equally varied and tailored. Exposed to food price volatility and extreme fluctuations in agricultural commodities, too many people in developing countries struggle to feed themselves and their families. "...

Thanks to EU-Brazil Civil Society Round Table, which ended just yesterday in Brasilia, I have acquired a deeper insight into this vibrant nation. Brazil is a country to which we Europeans could start paying more attention and from which we have much to learn. As an emerging economic power and given the proven impact of civil society input into the country’s social inclusion policies, I feel Brazil deserves more credit for its increased involvement in the global political agenda. We had the opportunity to meet Brazilian civil society and discuss topics related to food security, inevitably linking it to agricultural production and resource management, and the need to make it sustainable in social, economic and environmental terms.

Food security concerns us all, because it is about the earth's resources, which we all share and use, and because food is vital for life. That’s why we need to ensure that everybody in the world has enough food to eat or the resources and means to grow their own food. This is the case in the developing countries. We cannot accept that one in six people on our planet faces a daily struggle to find enough food to live.

The basis for agriculture and forestry is the use of the photosynthesis which drives all earth's biological processes. No artificial system has been invented that can convert carbon atoms in the atmosphere into organic material so effectively. Plant photosynthesis captures energy from sunlight. Oxygen is also released during this process, which is the most important cycle in nature. It is plant cells that create growth in the real sense of the word.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the EU common agricultural policy (CAP), one of the most widely discussed and most widely questioned elements of EU cooperation, but also one of the most important for the EU, especially now when we need more than ever to work together on food supply issues.