The sustainability transition of EU Food Systems: making progress or taking time?

The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F), central to the European Green Deal, was intended to accelerate the transition towards sustainable food systems, making them ‘fair, healthy and environmentally friendly,’ yet very little of its ambition has been realised. As we embark on the second term of von der Leyen’s Commission, this roundtable reflected on how the EU’s agrifood policies from the last five years have contributed to making EU food systems more sustainable, identified what is still missing, and explored major bottlenecks that we can expect in trying to reach a genuine transition.

Our expert panel exchanged views from a variety of perspectives on F2F’s legacy, the potential role of a Sustainable Food Systems legislative framework, the recommendations of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, and necessary reforms of key instruments such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to align them with the EU’s climate and environmental goals.

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Key themes:
Progress on EU food systems sustainability: There are differing views on the progress of making EU food systems more sustainable. While some advancements have been made, many feel that significant gaps still remain, especially in achieving the broader goals of fairness, health, and environmental sustainability.
Policy frameworks and instruments: Key EU policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), nature restoration law, and the soil monitoring law have introduced new frameworks. However, challenges lie in implementation, funding, and ensuring that these frameworks drive real, on-ground sustainability improvements.
CAP’s environmental and economic balance: The CAP reforms aimed to integrate higher environmental ambitions, but questions arise on whether these measures have truly moved the needle on climate goals and biodiversity. A careful balance between economic viability for farmers and environmental objectives is essential.
Challenges in agricultural practices and livestock: Livestock farming, particularly intensive systems, poses significant environmental challenges, especially in terms of emissions. There are calls for better-targeted policies that reduce negative impacts without dismissing the socio-economic importance of certain farming practices, particularly in vulnerable regions.
Missed opportunities in legislation: Several proposed regulations, such as the Sustainable Food Systems Law and pesticide use directives, have not been fully implemented, hindering further progress in improving sustainability.
Sustainability in the food demand side: Beyond agricultural production, there is a need to shift consumer demand towards more sustainable and healthier food choices, with mechanisms like public procurement and better labelling playing a crucial role.

Speakers

Gaëlle Marion	Head of Unit for Environmental Sustainability (B.2), Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission	Gaëlle MARION is the Head of Unit for Environmental Sustainability in the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission. Before that, she was the Head of Unit for Conception and consistency of rural development. She has been involved in the development of the Common Agricultural Policy since 2007, both on rural development and farm income support, and horizontal aspects such as governance, delivery models and networking. Her past career as Secretary General of Euromontana, a European association for the development of mountain areas, gave her in-depth expertise on territorial challenges, local development and interlinks between agriculture and the environment. She is an agro-economist from Agro-ParisTech (1993), France.
Alan Matthews	Professor Emeritus of European Agricultural Policy, University of Dublin Trinity College	Alan Matthews is Professor Emeritus of European Agricultural Policy at the University of Dublin Trinity College, Ireland and a former President of the European Association of Agricultural Economists. His research focuses on EU agricultural policy, originally with an interest in agricultural trade policy, and agricultural trade and development issues. More recently, he has been a member of Ireland’s Climate Change Advisory Council and has taken a special interest in the potential role of market-based instruments to accelerate emissions mitigation in the agricultural and land use sectors. He has provided policy advice to the OECD, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the European Parliament, and the European Committee of the Regions, among others. He is a regular contributor to the blog capreform.eu on issues relating to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
Giulia Riedo	Sustainable Farming Policy Officer, WWF	Giulia has a background in International affairs and Climate Adaptation. She worked at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on climate resilience and land rights first in Rome and then in South Africa. She has been working for WWF European Policy Office since 2021 and she is the expert on sustainable agriculture and food.
Roberto Talenti	Doctoral Researcher in Agri-Environmental Law, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies	Roberto Talenti is a PhD candidate in Agri-Environmental Law at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies (Pisa, Italy). He holds an MA in International Security Studies and an LLM in International Environmental Law. His primary research focuses on analysing the EU regulatory framework for mitigating livestock emissions and critiquing the growth-oriented ontology underlying international law. He has previously served as a visiting researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and the European Environmental Bureau. He is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and the International Society for Ecological Economics.
Vítor Rodrigues	Board member of the National Confederation of Agriculture (CNA), and Coordinating Committee Member of the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC)	Vítor Rodrigues is a member of the Board of CNA - National Confederation of Agriculture, and of the Coordinating Committee of ECVC - European Coordinator of La Via Campesina. He is responsible for the CNA's International Department and for managing the protocol on the Portuguese branch of Farm Accountancy Data Network, at CNA. At the European Level, he participates at the ECVC’s Working Groups on Public Policies, Peasant Rights and International Trade. Vítor (born in 1979 and currently living in Braga) has an MSc in Agronomic Engineering and a Post-Graduate in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies.

Moderator

Annalisa Savaresi

Professor of International Environmental Law, University of Eastern Finland

Annalisa Savaresi is an environmental lawyer with 20 years of experience working with international, regional, and national governmental and non-governmental organizations. She earned her PhD from the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen in 2013. Her academic portfolio includes over 50 peer-reviewed articles and contributions to renowned collections. At the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Annalisa directs the Joint Nordic Master Programme in Environmental Law and oversees CCEEL’s contributions to the Horizon Europe project RETOOL and the Jean Monnet network, Green Deal Net. Annalisa serves as the Director for Europe within the Global Network on Human Rights and the Environment and has been a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law since 2009. She has provided expert evidence to legislative bodies such as the UK, EU, and Scottish Parliaments

The roundtable debate series "Key Issues in EU Climate and Sustainability Governance" delves into pressing issues surrounding climate and sustainability governance in the context of the European Green Deal. Each debate offers a platform for exchanging unique perspectives, featuring a diverse panel of experts and stakeholders, including policymakers, researchers, civil society and industry representatives.