Towards a European Food Policy Council as a new governance model in the future EU Framework on Sustainable Food Systems

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Practical information

Background

The European Commission is currently working on the preparation of a new EU framework on a sustainable food system (FSFS), which was foreseen in the Farm to Fork Strategy and is due for publication by the end of 2023. The framework will set the foundations for the systemic changes that are needed by all actors of the food system, including policy makers, business operators and consumers in order to accelerate the transition to a sustainable EU food system, and also provide a frame for the future governance of food systems.

In its previous opinions, the EESC called for the creation of a "European Food Policy Council" that should be multi-stakeholder (encompassing the whole food supply chain) and multi-level (including representatives from local, regional, national levels).

The purpose of this own-initiative opinion would be to feed strategically into the Commission's preparatory work on the FSFS by providing concrete ideas for governance of food systems and meaningful and structured civil society's (including young people's) engagement in the development, monitoring and implementation of food policies. The opinion would build on previous opinions related to sustainable food and youth education, and create synergies with other related ongoing work, for example on the Rural Pact.