• On December 5th, the new "European Board for Agriculture and Food" was launched, created to unify dialogue between stakeholders in the agri-food chain and the European Commission.
• The European Board for Agriculture and Food is currently accepting applications for membership in its Board of Directors.
• Its creation responds to one of the recommendations of the final report of the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in Europe.

10.12.2024 . The European Commission (EC) created the European Agriculture and Food Council ( EBAF ) on December 5 , following the recommendations of the final report of the " Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture ". This report constitutes the new starting point in the European agricultural strategy and presents the current challenges and opportunities of the sector, along with a series of recommendations structured around 5 pillars.

The new Board, chaired by Christophe Hansen , Commissioner for Food and Agriculture, aims to create a new culture of dialogue, trust, and multi-stakeholder engagement between actors in the food chain and civil society, as well as with the Commission. The new advisory body is expected to provide advice to the Commission on the previously presented "Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture" on the new vision for food and agriculture, a report that will be presented shortly.

As strong strategies:

• The exchange of experiences
• The synergy of EU policies with private sector initiatives

The Board has a five-year term and is expected to meet two to six times a year.

Nominations for the Board of Directors

The launch of the EBAF has also seen thepublication of a call for applications for membership on the Board of Directors, which will be composed of up to 30 member organizations representing three categories of stakeholders:

• The farming community.
• Food supply chain agents.
• Civil society (in areas such as environment and climate, animal welfare, or consumer issues).

Organizations applying for membership must demonstrate extensive expertise and experience in the agri-food and agricultural sectors at the European level, as well as broad geographic representation. They must also register in the Transparency Register.

The deadline for submitting applications to the EBAF is 8 January 2025. The Commission will assess all applications and aims to finalize the composition of the Board by early 2025. The first meeting of the Board will be convened immediately thereafter.