Conference on CAP post-2013 to build on success of public debate
Roughly 600 delegates from all over the EU come to Brussels next Monday and Tuesday (19-20 July 2010) to discuss the future of the Common Agriculture policy after 2013. This Conference will seek to debate and draw some form of conclusions from the public debate on the post-2013 launched by the Commission in April, based on the four very fundamental questions of: "Why do we need a CAP? What do citizens expect from agriculture? Why reform the CAP? What tools do we need for the CAP of tomorrow?"
Speaking ahead of the event, Dacian Cioloș, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, drew attention to the strong response that the public debate triggered, with nearly 6000 internet contributions from the general public in 2 months, as well as positions from some 80 think tanks and 93 Non-Governmental Organisations. "This shows that people feel strongly about the CAP, and the responses have illustrated that our policy is not "only" about food production, but also about the provision of broader public goods", he stated. "I am very much looking forward to the event on Place St Catherine on Sunday and Monday, as a celebration of Europe's diversity, open to everybody. This reiterates my fundamental belief that the CAP is not just for farmers, it is for all EU citizens, as taxpayers and consumers".
