BRUSSELS, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission will present a roadmap for the future of the European Union's agriculture within the first 100 days of the next mandate, incumbent and future Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
The next Commission is due to be formed in the coming months following the June European election.
Von der Leyen made the remarks while receiving the final report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, a forum that was launched in January to shape a shared vision for EU farming.
"There is hardly a sector more important to our continent than agriculture. It is ... vital to our health. It is strategic to our economy and our self-sufficiency," von der Leyen told a news conference.
"My team and I will ... carefully study these recommendations in the report. They will feed into a vision for agriculture and food. And I will present this roadmap within the first 100 days of the next mandate," she added.
The report offers recommendations which include adaptation of the EU's common agricultural policy towards more sustainable and competitive food systems, advocate support and promotion of sustainable farming practices, and outline the need to strengthen risk management tools in farming.
It also stresses the importance of generational renewal and gender equality in farming and the need to protect workers in the sector, and states that access to knowledge and skills must be facilitated. ■
