Meet our members | Ágnes Cser: Putting sustainable agri-food systems at the core of the Hungarian Council Presidency

Ágnes Cser has been a member of the EESC since 2004, belonging to Group III (Civil Society Organisations); she is a member of the Group III Bureau, the External Relations (REX) section, the Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment (NAT) section, and the Ethical Committee. She is the secretary-general of the Hungarian Children and Youth Association and, at the end of June 2024, she took over as the head of the Hungarian Economic and Social Council (NESC) during the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU (http://ngtt.hu/en/). The NESC’s activities focus in particular on sustainable agriculture, fair and sustainable food systems, children and youth, all of which entail applying the ‘principle and practice of health in all policies’ within the EU, in the Member States and internationally. 

You were recently appointed as the president of the Hungarian Economic and Social Council. What will your role be and what are your main priorities for this mandate? How do you see the links with your role as a member of the EESC?

It was with great pleasure that I took over the presidential duties at the NESC. I admit that I have been preparing for this for a long time, because the NESC was created to discuss national strategies spanning government cycles, and to promote harmonious and balanced economic development, and the development and implementation of corresponding social models. It is a consultative, proposal-making and advisory body independent of the Parliament and the Government, which serves to promote consensus between the various interest groups in society.

Based on the model of the EESC, the NESC is a body established by law, supplemented with certain specific national features; this is a suitable structure for achieving all our goals, such as those found in the programmes of the EESC, NAT and other sections and the permanent study groups within them. On my initiative, we created a Socialization Working Group within the NESC, the goal of which was to introduce the NESC’s activities to Hungarian citizens – who are European citizens as well. Communication cannot be a one-way street: we must also accept feedback, and my membership of the EESC has helped me to realise this.

Hungary holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union as of 1 July. What are your general expectations for this presidency?

I fully support the objectives of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council, because I believe that the competitiveness of the EU must be strengthened, and this cannot be achieved without the broadest possible stimulation of cohesion policy (economic, social and territorial), paying particular attention to development gaps between regions: a well-structured and balanced investment policy must be implemented, because it is important to take account of the significant differences in development levels, which affect the countryside and thus the people living there.

This is closely related to the implementation of a farmer-oriented EU agricultural policy, which also requires a reconsideration of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), because imports from third countries and stringent production rules have significantly worsened the competitiveness of agriculture. Agriculture should not be seen as the cause of climate change, but as part of the solution. The goal of the Hungarian presidency is for EU agricultural policy to create a competitive, crisis-proof and farmer-friendly European agriculture system. Among the cohesion policy and demographic objectives, preventing rural depopulation and helping the countryside to catch up, taking into account the changing world of work and the distance of young people from the rural way of life, are of particular importance.

In the EU’s enlargement policy, it is extremely important to take into account the opinions of civil society, especially from the agricultural sector. A credible enlargement policy is a geostrategic investment in European peace, stability, security and prosperity. It is important to discuss the European Green Deal and Fit for 55 in the field of climate and environmental protection and to promote the transition to a circular economy. In addition to the commitment to reducing the adverse effects of climate change, it is also vital to strengthen resilience.

That is why the role of the EESC, as a representative of organised civil society, is of particular importance, so that, once we have got to know the various interests involved, we can create fair solutions – with the NAT section also playing an important role in this.

As highlighted in the priorities for this presidency, Hungary plans to work towards a farmer-centred EU agricultural policy, while at the same time placing a strong emphasis on improving European competitiveness, integrating this objective into all policies by applying a holistic approach. Hungary has further asked our committee to produce an exploratory opinion on Fostering sustainable and resilient food systems at times of growing crises. In your view, what are the key elements that should be put forward in this opinion? 

EU farmers provide basic public goods to guarantee food security, and therefore food sovereignty and guaranteeing it in the long term must be part of the strategic autonomy of the EU. The basis of our health is healthy food. The producers of this food – farmers, SMEs and other businesses – play a key role in our lives, so it is not only incomprehensible, but also outrageous that they do not receive the recognition, support and protection from the EU that they deserve. While the EU protects our health with strict regulations during the production of food, the single market and the open European economy destroy the health both of those who eat it and of those who can no longer sell their own produce in the face of competition from cheap, unhealthy dumped goods.

I welcome the Hungarian Presidency’s request for an exploratory opinion on Fostering sustainable and resilient food systems in times of growing crises, because it will give the EESC the opportunity to convey the opinions and suggestions of those who contribute to EU agriculture. We cannot avoid discussing the social and labour conditions of those who contribute to agriculture. Social dialogue is also indispensable for those employed in agriculture, which the EESC and thus the NAT section has always supported and continues to support in addition to civil dialogue.

An EU-level evaluation, along with the proposals coming out of the Member States’ experiences with social dialogue, would greatly help the situation of agricultural families, with particular attention to women – and this also relates to our demographic objectives, which the EESC absolutely must support.

It might seem like none of this has anything to do with the exploratory opinion I am preparing at the request of the EU Hungarian Presidency, entitled ‘Leaving no one behind: European commitment to tackling rare diseases’. However, most of these diseases can be traced back to genetic defects, and research is slowly proving that nutrition and the environment also affect the development of our gene pool; we must take this into account for the health of our future generations.