Issue 110
October 2022
ISSN 2315-0017
EU Newsflash
- You are EU: an invitation for all Europeans to join in and help transform our challenges into opportunities to build a better future with clean energy made in Europe.
Spotlight on the EU’s common agricultural policy
Agriculture is crucial for us human beings. The agricultural sector is central to our lives but also highly volatile, depending to a great extent on weather and climate conditions. Ensuring plentiful, high-quality food for all was a key consideration in post-war Europe. That is why, in 1962, the founding regulation of the common agricultural policy (CAP) was published, setting out the first-ever common rules on European agriculture.
Over the decades, the original goals of the CAP have remained relevant: increasing productivity and stabilising markets; ensuring the availability of high-quality food at reasonable prices for all people in the EU; and providing fair living standards to farmers. However, the policy itself has evolved to respond to changing market conditions, consumer demand and factors such as climate change and the need for sustainable development.
2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the CAP and its achievements; 60 years of feeding the EU at affordable prices while maintaining some of the world’s highest safety and environmental standards and keeping rural communities vibrant. Today, 60 years after its introduction, a new chapter is being written with the reform of the CAP. The new 2023–2027 CAP aims at securing the future of agriculture and forestry while rendering food systems fair, healthy and environmentally friendly, from farm to fork.
The October edition of our newsletter brings you a selection of EU publications relating to agriculture, along with ones on a range of other interesting topics, from trust in media to European literature.
An Evaluation of the CAP Impact PDF
A discrete policy mix analysis
The CAP is one of the main pillars of the European project. Since 1962, it has evolved from its traditional role of supporting farmers’ livelihoods and improving agricultural productivity to embrace the goal of balanced territorial development. In the process, the CAP has become a policy with many different instruments allowing EU countries, farmers and regions to adopt distinct implementation models. This report evaluates the CAP as a mix of policies at the EU level.
Available in English
Food Safety PDF
EU action on food safety aims at protecting the health of people, animals and plants at every step from farm to fork, while helping the food industry in the EU to operate under the best possible conditions. Find out more about the EU’s food-safety policy in this factsheet.
Available in all official languages of the EU
The Future of the European Farming Model PDF
Socio-economic and territorial implications of the decline in the number of farms and farmers in the EU
This study provides an overview of the effect of the decline in the number of farms across the EU on the European farming model, which is built around the notion of multifunctionality. It concludes that to foster sustainability and resilience, policy tools must embrace the emerging diversity of farmer profiles and stimulate socially desirable adaptive strategies that preserve the multifunctionality of farming.
Available in English
A Sign of Authenticity PDF/Paper
EU quality schemes that protect authentic agricultural products
This factsheet focuses on quality schemes, which cover over 3 300 products in the EU: cheeses and other dairy products, meat, fruit and vegetables, wines, spirits and more. EU symbols have been established to identify these products on the market, confirm they are authentic and reinforce their international recognition.
Available in all official languages of the EU except Irish. Also in Chinese.
Common Agricultural Policy and Climate PDF
Half of EU climate spending but farm emissions are not decreasing – Special report 16/2021
This report presents the findings of the European Court of Auditors, assessing whether the CAP-supported climate mitigation practices have been able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture during the 2014–2020 period. A main finding is that the EUR 100 billion of CAP funds attributed to climate action had little impact on such emissions, which have not changed significantly since 2010. The report, therefore, concludes with recommendations for the future CAP.
Available in all official languages of the EU except Irish.
Sensational! PDF/Paper
Cooking with great European products
As early as 1992, the European Union decided to protect several local product names. This decision stemmed from the desire to better preserve culinary heritage and offer farmers and producers a fairer income. European products that are awarded a quality label always have unique characteristics, they are typical of the region in which they are produced and, most importantly, are of excellent quality. In this book, renowned European chefs suggest how unique products from their countries can be incorporated in mouth-watering dishes.
Available in English, French and Polish
Research and innovation
CORDIS Results Pack on Agroecology PDF/HTML
Farming in Europe has been transformed over the last 70 years by policies, technologies and practices that sought to guarantee a stable supply of affordable food. But success has sometimes come at the cost of environmental degradation. This CORDIS Results Pack highlights 11 EU-funded research projects that demonstrate the potential of more sustainable alternatives. It aims to feed into key ongoing processes such as the reform of the CAP and the design of eco-schemes.
Available in:
English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish (PDF version)
All official languages of the EU except Irish, Lithuanian and Maltese (HTML version)
Also out recently
News & Media Survey 2022 PDF
This dedicated Eurobarometer survey takes an in-depth look at media habits, trust in different media sources and attitudes towards the threat of disinformation. Among its many interesting findings is that EU citizens trust traditional media most. If you have a special interest in the topic, you can explore the corresponding dataset.
Available in English
Biodiversity Strategy 2030 PDF
Barrier removal for river restoration
The EU 2030 biodiversity strategy sets the target to make at least 25 000 km of rivers free-flowing again by 2030, by removing primarily obsolete barriers and restoring floodplains and wetlands. This document aims to support Member States and other parties involved in river restoration as they seek to achieve this target.
Available in all official languages of the EU except Irish and Maltese
European Stories PDF/EPUB
European Union Prize for Literature: winning authors 2022
In this 2022 EU Prize for Literature winners’ anthology, you will discover 14 authors, with 14 stories from 14 different countries. You will also find a diversity of characters and genres, representative of Europe’s diversity, that will introduce you to new world views.
Multilingual publication: each story in the original language along with translation in English or French
Housing Market Developments in the Euro Area PDF
Focus on housing affordability
House prices have been at the centre of the public debate recently. After years of sustained increases, they accelerated further during the pandemic, while the last global financial crisis highlighted the impact that housing markets can have on financial stability and the real economy. This paper looks at housing developments in the euro-area countries from an affordability perspective.
Available in English
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Regional Cohesion in Europe 2021–2022 PDF
Evidence from the EIB investment survey
Support for economic, social and territorial cohesion has always been a central goal of the European Union. Much progress has been made; however large-scale economic shocks have often worked to exacerbate differences between regions. This report assesses which EU regions are leading in transformative investments, such as those concerning innovation, digitalisation and sustainability. It also examines how investment was affected by the COVID 19 shock, how firms responded to it and how they have progressed towards deeper structural transformation.
Available in English
Weak Signals in Science and Technologies in 2021 PDF
Technologies at a very early stage of development that could impact the future
Identifying potentially disruptive technologies or scientific developments early is key for the design of new policies. It helps policymakers develop policies that ensure both a stable business environment for industry and a safe and secure society for people to live in. This report presents 93 early signs of emerging technologies or products in 2021.
Available in English
Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training PDF
This publication provides hands-on guidance for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy in their classrooms. It includes practical tips, activity plans, insights on topics and cautionary notes. It also provides pedagogical expertise on strengthening the critical-thinking skills of young people to foster their resilience in the digital world.
Available in Bulgarian, English, French and German
Our news
EU Datathon 2022: we are thrilled to announce the winners!
The sixth edition of EU Datathon, the EU’s open data competition, came to a close on 20 October 2022. The finals took place in Brussels as part of the European Year of Youth and were streamed online to a worldwide audience.
Empowering young people in the job market, reducing greenhouse emissions and bringing European cultural heritage closer to citizens: these were some of the ambitions put forward by the 12 teams that made the final of this year’s EU Datathon. The teams were shortlisted from an initial 156 entries from 38 countries, the highest level of participation in the competition’s history, and competed in four categories, all highly relevant to the challenges Europe faces today: the European Green Deal; transparency in public procurement; EU public procurement opportunities for young people; and a Europe fit for the digital age.
Empowering young people in the job market, reducing greenhouse emissions and bringing European cultural heritage closer to citizens: these were some of the ambitions put forward by the 12 teams that made the final of this year’s EU Datathon. The teams were shortlisted from an initial 156 entries from 38 countries, the highest level of participation in the competition’s history, and competed in four categories, all highly relevant to the challenges Europe faces today: the European Green Deal; transparency in public procurement; EU public procurement opportunities for young people; and a Europe fit for the digital age
Find out more info about the event and who the winners are here.
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