EU's Agri-Food Strategic Resilience

Location

Brussels
Agriculture

Scope and Objectives

On Wednesday 7 October, from 10:00 - 13:00 CEST, the European Economic and Social Committee will host a public debate about the resilience of the EU's agri-food systems. This debate will focus on how to reduce the vulnerabilities and strategic dependencies of European food systems, increase the EU's readiness in the face of crisis, and learn from existing solutions.

The discussion will feed into the EESC's work, requested by the upcoming Lithuanian Presidency, on the EU's agri-food systems strategic resilience. This work aims to:

  • Assess how to safeguard critical supply chains in times of crisis
  • Maintain the production capacity and economic viability of EU farms and food businesses
  • Secure access to critical resources and inputs
  • Examine dependencies on external suppliers
  • Investigate any value chain vulnerabilities that could endanger the continuity of food production and supply
  • Analyse the role of risk management and access to reliable and timely information
  • Support short supply chains
  • Promote knowledge transfer and innovation

Context

Recent geopolitical, economic, and climate-related crises have demonstrated that the EU's food systems are a key part of Europe's strategic infrastructure. These disruptions have highlighted the need to strengthen the resilience of the wider agri-food system, including supply chains, processing, storage, logistics and access to essential inputs. In this context, the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union has requested that the EESC prepare an exploratory opinion to outline how EU policies can contribute to the EU's agri-food strategic resilience. This debate informs the EESC's work by collecting the views of experts and stakeholders on the topic.