Food systemsFirst announced in Von der Leyen’s State of the Union address in September 2023, the recent wave of farmers protesting against the EU Green Deal emphasized the importance and set the agenda of the ‘strategic dialogue’ kick-started by the Commission between agriculture groups and EU decision-makers.
This dialogue brings together stakeholders, consumers, and environmental organizations to discuss the conflict between the importance of environmental regulation and the consequences they have on Europe’s farmers.
The dialogue has thus had a distinctively rural focus, leaving little room for discussions about sustainable food system developments in cities. Whilst the status of rural life as the backbone of Europe’s food systems remains uncontested, cities can also play a role in the transformation of our food systems but are not invited to the table.
