European Farmers' Confederation

European Farmers' Confederation

The European Farmers' Confederation is a Brussels-based advocacy umbrella grouping representing national farmers' organizations across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other European Union and non-EU states such as Norway and Switzerland. Founded amid debates over the Common Agricultural Policy and the policies of the European Commission, the Confederation engages with institutions including the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Court of Auditors to influence agricultural policy and rural development. It interfaces with stakeholders such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Trade Organization on trade, sustainability, and market access issues.

History

The Confederation originated during the 1980s as member organizations from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Cyprus, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey coordinated responses to reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy. Early engagements involved responses to the MacSharry Reform and later reactions to the Agenda 2000 framework, the Lisbon Treaty era debates, and the 2003 and 2013 CAP reforms. The Confederation has engaged with major agricultural crises including the BSE crisis, the 2007–2008 financial crisis, the 2013 horse meat scandal, and supply disruptions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has evolved alongside European civil society movements like COPA-COGECA, and interacted with agricultural research networks such as the European Innovation Partnership and the European Research Area.

Structure and Membership

The Confederation's membership comprises national farmers' unions and professional associations from across Europe including bodies such as FNSEA, Landesbauernverbanden, Coldiretti, Asaja, UPA, LFA, Irish Farmers' Association, National Farmers' Union (UK), and counterparts in accession states like Poland's Związki Rolnicze and Romania's AFIR affiliates. Governance typically includes a President, Secretary-General, and a General Assembly with representation from member organizations similar to structures used by International Federation of Agricultural Producers and European Council of Young Farmers. Committees and working groups mirror those of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and coordinate with agencies like the European Environment Agency on sustainability standards. Funding is derived from membership dues, project grants from the European Commission and partnership agreements with institutions such as the European Investment Bank and private stakeholders like agribusiness federations.

Objectives and Policy Positions

The Confederation advocates for positions on agricultural policy, trade, and rural livelihoods that intersect with actors such as the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and regional bodies like the Council of Europe. Policy priorities include defending national producer interests during CAP negotiations, shaping Common Fisheries Policy spillovers, and influencing trade agreements negotiated by the European Commission with partners including Mercosur, the United States, China, and Canada (notably the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement debates). It advances positions on environmental compliance tied to directives from the European Union like the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive, and on animal health measures coordinated with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Organisation for Animal Health. The Confederation has taken stances on subsidies, direct payments, market intervention mechanisms seen in the Single Farm Payment regime, and on crisis measures such as those enacted during the Ukraine grain export disruptions.

Activities and Programs

Activities include policy consultation, lobbying, capacity-building, and project management with partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and university networks like Erasmus Mundus consortia. Programs address farm resilience, digital agriculture initiatives aligned with Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe calls, environmental schemes compatible with the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy, and vocational training in cooperation with the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training and national ministries like Ministry of Agriculture (France), Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, and Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. It publishes policy briefs, technical guidance, and market analyses that reference datasets from the European Statistical Office and research from institutions like INRAE, JRC, Aarhus University, and Wageningen University.

Relations with EU Institutions and Other Organizations

The Confederation maintains formal and informal relations with the European Commission, European Parliament committees such as the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Council of the European Union presidencies of member states including France, Germany, Portugal, and Spain. It engages with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations including COPA-COGECA, the European Landowners' Organization, European Farmers and Agri-cooperatives, Farm Europe, Friends of the Earth Europe, Greenpeace European Unit, and financial actors like the European Investment Fund. It participates in stakeholder forums established by the European Commission and cooperates with international agencies including the United Nations Environment Programme and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on policy research, trade impact assessments, and rural development projects.

Category:Agricultural organizations based in Europe