Europe needs all of us to build its future.

 But this time, the economical crisis, the financial deregulation and the malaise among farmers, along with global food, environment and climate challenges enlighten to the need for public regulation as a new doctrine to allow the emergence of sustainable agriculture.

Both Confrontations Europe and Sofiprotéol are convinced that the CAP must evolve in order to support the development of a sustainable agricultural industry combining the creation of value and the protection of public goods. The debate sparked by the scheduled reform of the CAP provides an opportunity to discuss these beliefs, which are shared by a growing number of agricultural and industrial players in the European Union, and to work on a series of related proposals in an informal environment bringing together national and European players and decision-makers.

Co-organised by Confrontations Europe and Sofiprotéol, this series of lunch-debates held in Brussels - this one being the first - will tackle following issues:

18 May 2011: The CAP and sustainable agriculture.
What kind of overall policy is needed to meet the requirements of intensive agriculture with high ecological added value?

30 June 2011: Farmers as low-carbon pioneers?
Can aid for famers be linked to their carbon footprint performance? Could this be a means of linking food production with non-food production, and the creation of economic value with the protection of public goods?

10 november 2011: CAP, agriculture market and farmers income: What regulation for reconciling competitiveness with solidarity?
How do we guarantee food safety, promote European products and stabilise the income of farmers? What role for field strategies, market instruments and public policy?

8 December 2011: Towards a large-scale, Euro-Mediterranean agricultural area?
How do we encourage cooperation with producers in the neighbouring countries of southern and eastern Europe? Should they be included in the debate about reforming the CAP?

This event takes place in the framework of 2011 European Economic Debates (Entretiens Economiques Européens or EEE), co-organised by 3 major Partners, Confrontations Europe, Bertelsmann Stiftung and Astrid Foundation, in association with thematic partners like Sofiprotéol.
The EEE symposium will take place on 23 and 24 November 2011 in Paris.
The ground for the EEE is prepared by a series of lunch debates held in Brussels - this Agriculture lunch-debate cycle being a part of it - in addition to several conferences and Confrontations Europe working group meetings.

More information on our 23-24 November European Economic Debates "For a social market economy : Reconciling competitiveness with solidarity"