Raised on a farm in Wiltz, owner of a master’s degree in geosciences, environmental sciences and risk management, re-elected as a Member of the European Parliament in June 2024, conservative enough for the European People’s Party, but environmentally aware enough to win support from the Socialists and Greens… Christophe Hansen embodies everything Von Der Leyen wanted – and needed – to tackle the new challenges (and not the least) posed by agriculture, the EU’s biggest budget.
2019-2024 Recap ? Some crises and debates around agriculture sovereignty
Between 2019 and 2024, European agriculture went through some tough times, facing challenges from COVID-19 to the war in Ukraine. These crises exposed vulnerabilities in the supply chain, pushing the EU to rethink its approach to food resilience. First, the pandemic showed how quickly shortages could happen, highlighting the importance of a self-sufficient agricultural sector. Then, the conflict in Ukraine disrupted European agricultural markets, with Ukraine being a major supplier of grains and fertilizers. This drove up prices, creating tensions for farmers and consumers alike.
In this context, the Common Agricultural Policy, or CAP, also became a hot topic. The 2023-2027 CAP, adopted in 2023, raised environmental goals by requiring member states to allocate budget portions to biodiversity and climate measures. While many saw these adjustments as essential, they triggered frustration among farmers, who faced more rules and paperwork. In 2024, thousands of farmers protested across Europe, expressing dissatisfaction with increasingly strict requirements for subsidies and environmental standards, especially amid rising costs for inputs and energy. These protests underscored farmers’ calls for more balanced reforms that take their economic realities into account.
Roadmap for 2024-2029: Hansen’s key projects
For the 2024-2029 mandate, Christophe Hansen is tasked with creating a clear, accessible vision for EU agriculture and food policy. Within his first 100 days, he will lay the groundwork for this approach, taking into account farmers’ feedback from recent protests and the priorities outlined in the 2024 strategic dialogue.
- A simpler, more flexible CAP: Hansen wants to reduce administrative burdens, especially for smaller farms. He plans to streamline eligibility for direct aid and adapt some environmental rules to make them more accessible, while keeping the EU’s climate goals intact.
- Support for young farmers: Hansen aims to make it easier for younger people to enter farming, including through specific aids like low-interest loans. This approach is meant to help the next generation access the capital and land they need.
- Boosting local protein production: To reduce the EU’s dependence on imports, especially for animal feed, Hansen wants to promote local protein sources, such as legumes. This would improve Europe’s food security and lessen its reliance on foreign imports.
- Enhanced traceability and labeling: Hansen plans to help consumers make more informed choices by enhancing product traceability and revisiting food labeling rules. This would highlight local products and encourage sustainable practices.
Additionally, Hansen is focusing on CAP subsidies, where he wants to make distribution fairer to better support smaller farms. This addresses criticism over recent years about how subsidies are often tilted in favor of larger farms, leaving smallholders at a disadvantage.
Challenges ahead: competitiveness, green transitions – Major topic for all the commissioners
Looking ahead, Hansen faces a range of challenges, with – and it’s probably the case for every commissioner – the need to balance sustainability, competitiveness, and fairness as a top priority. One of the most pressing issues is the potential EU entry of Ukraine, a major agricultural powerhouse. Integrating Ukraine into the EU’s agricultural market could disrupt the current balance, as the CAP would need to support this large farming sector. Hansen will need to find a way to manage this transition in a way that doesn’t undermine EU farmers, while also making the most of Ukraine’s agricultural contributions to European food security. The challenge is especially delicate because the CAP already faces criticism for favoring large-scale farms; adding Ukraine’s vast agricultural lands into the mix could make reform necessary.
Another significant issue Hansen is expected to address is pesticide use. With growing calls for safer and more sustainable farming practices, Hansen needs to support solutions that help farmers reduce pesticide reliance without losing competitiveness. This could involve funding research into alternative, eco-friendly methods and providing subsidies to ease the transition. The debate here touches on wider concerns about food sovereignty in Europe, as well as the economic pressures farmers face as they work to meet the EU’s environmental goals.
Climate resilience is also high on the agenda, especially as extreme weather events, like the recent floods in Spain, become more frequent. Hansen plans to channel a portion of CAP funds toward initiatives that help farmers adapt to these new climate challenges. Supporting climate adaptation isn’t only about protecting yields; it’s also crucial for safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods against increasingly volatile weather patterns.
Finally, Hansen wants to tackle the uneven access to CAP subsidies. Smaller farms often miss out on the same level of support that larger operations receive, which has fueled long-standing discontent in the agricultural community. Hansen’s plan is to review subsidy rules to ensure a fairer distribution of funds, focusing more on smallholders who have been at a disadvantage. The idea is to make the CAP work for a broader range of farms, not just the big players, and respond to criticisms that CAP has become overly bureaucratic and challenging for smaller farmers.