Presentation of the Agriculture Atlas. Where is the common agricultural policy in the EU heading?

Presentation of the Agriculture Atlas. Where is the common agricultural policy in the EU heading?
Date:  June 10, 2019, at 11.00-14.00
Place: Central Agricultural Library,  Krakowskie Przedmieście 66, 00-950 Warsaw

The Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw and the Institute for Sustainable Development Foundation invite you to participate in the discussion on the need for changes in the European common agricultural policy and the presentation of our latest publication - "Agriculture Atlas. Where is the common agricultural policy in the EU heading?”

Rural areas and agriculture in the  European Union are extremely diverse: from large farms in the Czech Republic to small agricultural holdings in Cyprus and Malta. Irrespective of the differences and similarities, agriculture in the EU is regulated by one common EU agricultural policy, which sets its framework and basic rules in all member states. Today, over  50 years after its implementation, it is clear that the CAP does not meet the hopes placed in it.

The Agriculture Atlas is a collection of articles containing facts and data on the common agricultural policy in a nutshell,  divided into two parts: four chapters are focused on the situation of Polish countryside and Polish farmers, the next 15 chapters discuss the challenges faced by agriculture from a broad European perspective.

The Atlas is the result of the cooperation within the European network of organizations specializing in agricultural issues. The invited authors from various EU countries present strengths and weaknesses of the CAP and identify both the threats caused by the lack of change in EU agricultural policy, as well as the opportunities for rural areas, agriculture and environmental quality provided by a well-designed reform of this policy.

We believe that we all have a real influence on the future shape of the European common agricultural policy. With our publication we would like to reach out to a wide range of people with the message of the need for fundamental changes in the common agricultural policy towards a sustainable approach to rural development, ensuring environmental standards and social needs.

Program of the meeting:

11:00 Opening:  Irene Hahn-Fuhr, director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw

Wojciech Szymalski, president  of the Institute for Sustainable Development

11:05     Presentation of the publishing series of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, 'ATLASES'

Ewa Jakubowska-Lorenz, coordinator of the European Agricultural Policy Program, Heinrich Böll Foundation

11:10 Presentation of the Agriculture Atlas

prof. Zbigniew Karaczun – Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), associate of the Institute for Sustainable Development, author of the Polish chapters of the Agriculture Atlas

11:40 - 12:30 Comments on the Agriculture Atlas

Jan-Krzysztof Ardanowski - Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Poland

Jaroslaw Sachajko - Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development

Czesław Siekierski - MEP, Chairman of the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development (to be confirmed)

Edyta Jaroszewska-Nowak - farmer, activist of the Ekoland Association

12:30 - 13:00 Discussion with the audience

13:00 - 13:15 Conclusion by prof. Zbigniew Karaczun

13: 15 - 14:00 Refreshments

Moderation: Katarzyna Karpa-Świderek, spokeswoman WWF