An external strategy for European agriculture

Policy Paper 81

This paper explores how the EU currently deals with two different major global challenges: insuring food security and the promotion of environmental commitments. This overview suggests that greater coherence between EU policies and actors would help Europeans develop a unified strategic approach to cope with these challenges more efficiently.

| 28/02/2013

| Nadège Chambon |

| Energy and climate

This Policy
Paper is a contribution of Nadège Chambon (Notre Europe – Jacques Delors Institute), to the project Think Global – Act European (TGAE). Thinking strategically
about the EU’s external action directed by Notre Europe –
Jacques Delors Institute (report available in March 2013, dir. Elvire Fabry, Senior Research Fellow, Notre
Europe – Jacques Delors Institute).

The worrying prospect of having 9 billion inhabitants on earth in 2050 and the environmental challenges related to growing demands for food, fuel and fibre put agriculture under scrutiny at the global level. Agriculture must play a key role in poor countries to provide sufficient and affordable food for poor populations. At the same time, growing concerns have emerged regarding the serious consequences conventional farming systems may have on the planet’s ability to satisfy basic needs in the medium term. This paper explores how the EU currently deals with two different major global challenges: insuring food security and the promotion of environmental commitments. This overview suggests that greater coherence between EU policies and actors would help Europeans develop a unified strategic approach to cope with these challenges more efficiently.

Before the publication of the final report presenting the key recommendations of the 16 think tanks involved in the project, 5 series of policy papers address the following key challenges: migration,EU neighbourhood, CSDP, strategic resources and economic policy (publication on May 12th).

This Policy Paper is part of the series entitled “EU resource management: what European external action strategy?” which
includes contributions by Gonzalo Escribano (Elcano), Annika Ahtonen et Andrea Frontini (EPC), Stephen Tindale (CER),Sami Andoura (Notre Europe – Jacques Delors Institute) et Clémentine d’Oultremont (Egmont).

Go to the other contributions of the resource management series >>

Ce projet est mené avec le soutien du