PRESS RELEASE: 10th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture

10th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture:

“What CAP do we want for Greece and the EU? The big challenges facing agriculture now and in the future”

With great success and with the participation of leading institutional and business representatives from Greece and the EU, the 10^th, anniversary, Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture, by GAIA EPICHEIREIN,  which took place on Thursday 25 and Friday 26, April 2024, at the crowded Kalamata Dance Megaron, was concluded, with the theme: “What CAP do we want for Greece and the EU? The big challenges facing agriculture now and in the future”.

This year’s Congress was the 10^th consecutive and coincides with the completion of 10 years of activity of GAIA Epicheirein in the primary and wider agri-food sector of the country. More than 22,000 people attended in person and online the presentations of 60 distinguished speakers from Greece and the European Union, who addressed the critical issue of the present and future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), so that the primary sector is in position to meet the top challenges it faces.

The convergence point of the positions and the live dialogue that took place, was the need to formulate a national strategy, as a prerequisite for the future co-shaping and pursuit of a more effective CAP in view of the discussions on the future of the policy after 2027, which will officially start in 2025. This national strategy, for the formulation of which a systematic and inclusive dialogue should be launched immediately, should aim at a more sustainable and resilient Greek agriculture in the face of the key issues that concern the representatives of the primary sector: high production costs, climate change, geopolitical and economic shocks, food security, ecological and digital transformation, and generational renewal.

As the Honorary Speaker of the Congress, former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, characteristically noted, “agricultural production is not just another part of our broader economic production. It is something bigger because it is a way of life and in this sense, the agricultural issue cannot be addressed simply with numbers and from above. We need a vision, a goal, a new concept for the present and for the future, a decision on a crucial question:  What kind of Greece do we want?” Referring to the CAP issues, Mr. Samaras spoke of the need for a “brave increase in the CAP budget”, noting that “we do not just want an intervention and support plan. We want a model that inspires. We want a compass!”, while referring to the main subject of the Congress he added: “it is time to leave behind  the convenient excuses that the CAP is to blame for everything.”

The Keynote Speaker of the Congress, Minister of Rural Development & Food, Mr. Lefteris Avgenakis, underlined that “in the dilemma between green transition and food security, the answer is balance. A balance between the environment and rural development. Because indeed, the green transition must take place. But in a sustainable and correct way, without questioning either the food security or the sustainability of our farmers. We will not allow the “greening” of the agricultural sector to be at their expense”.

Announcing the opening of the Congress, the President of GAIA EPICHEΙRΕΙΝ, Prof.Christos Avgoulas, emphasized  that “the question is how we will co-shape a future CAP that will be able to respond to the critical sustainability challenges that the Greek and European agriculture face, in a context where the economic, environmental and social objectives related to the agricultural activity will be in harmony and not in conflict”.

Meanwhile, in her speech at the Opening Plenary Session of the Congress, NEUROPUBLIC’s CEO Mrs. Roza Gargalakou referred to the project of Digital Transformation of the Agricultural Sector, co-financed by the National Recovery and Resilience Fund, a project of prime importance for Greek and European agriculture,  which the company has recently started to implement as a contractor.

As she characteristically pointed out, this project “constitutes the most important attempt to combine scientific knowledge and technology with agricultural practices, offering multiple benefits for Greek farmers. The creation of this national infrastructure is only the first major step towards the digital transformation of Greek agriculture”.

The Opening Plenary Session of the Congress, which was moderated by Giorgos Lykourentzos, Journalist at Real Group, was addressed by the 4^th Vice President of the National Assembly & MP of Arta, SYRIZA, Olga Gerovassili, the Member of Parliament & Parliamentary Representative of PASOK-KINAL, Dimitris Mantzos, the President of NEA ARISTERA, MP of Messinia, Alexis Haritsis, the MEP of ELLINIKI LISI, Emmanouil Fragkos, as well as the Governor, Region of Peloponnese, Dimitris Ptochos and the Mayor of Kalamata, Athanasios Vassilopoulos, the Executive Director, International Olive Oil Council (IOC), Jaime Lillo Lopez, the Vice President, General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives (COGECA), Leonardo Pofferi, and the President of the  Association of Agricultural Cooperative Organizations & Enterprises of Greece (SASOEE), Giorgos Katsoulis.

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Extensive discussions and a wealth of positions and proposals took place in the framework of the four thematic workshops of the Congress, on critical issues such as the future of direct payments, climate and geopolitical challenges, the olive sector challenges, and the generational renewal in agriculture. During these thematic workshops, statements were made, among other speakers, by the Deputy Minister of  Rural Development & Food, Dionysis Stamenitis, the President of Italia Olivicola & Vice president of Advisory Committee of the IOC, Gennaro Sicolo, the Vice President of European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA), Matteo Pagliarani, the President of FARM EUROPE, Yves Madre, the President of Panhellenic Young Farmers’ Association (PENA), the President of Geotechnical Chamber of Greece, Menelaos Gardikiotis, the Senior Economist of the World Bank, John Baffes, the Head of Arable crops & olive oil unit of the General Directorate  of Agriculture & Rural Development of the European Commission, Koen Dillen, the Rector of the Agricultural University of Athens, Spyridon Kintzios, the General Manager of Agricultural Banking of Piraeus Bank, Alkiviadis Alexandrou etc.

The Closing Plenary Session of the 10^th Congress hosted, for the first time in the public debate, a targeted lively discussion and exchange of views with MEP candidates on agricultural issues and in particular on the central subject of the Congress ” What CAP do we want for Greece and the EU?”  Guests from across the political spectrum gave their perspective on critical issues in the primary sector. In particular, the panel consisted of Manolis Kefalogiannis, MEP & former Minister, NEA DIMOKRATIA, Olympia Teligioridou, Head of the Rural Sector, Central Committee of SYRIZA & former Deputy Minister of Rural Development & Food, Panagiotis Dimopoulos, Professor at the University of Patras & Secretary of the Environmental Sector of PASOK-KINAL, Emmanouil Fragkos, MEP of European Conservatives & Reformists Group & Member of ELLINIKI LYSI, Charalampos Kasimis, Professor Emeritus, Agricultural University of Athens, former Secretary General of Ministry of Rural Development & Food, NEA ARISTERA, Petros Kokkalis, MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, Secretary General of KOSMOS. Moderators of the panel were Themis Kanellopoulos, Journalist at the BEST TV and George Lykourentzos, Journalist at Real Group.

Finally, on the eve of the Congress, Thursday, April 25, the CEO of GAIA EPICHEIREIN, Elli Tsiforou presented the results of a national research – study of GAIA EPICHEIREIN, entitled ” Challenges and prerequisites for the sustainable transition of the main productive sectors of Greek agriculture”, which was conducted in collaboration with KAPA Research. The results of the survey revealed a wealth  of conclusions in relation to the economic, environmental and social sustainability of individual farms and collective schemes. Of particular concern was the 63% negative response of individual farmers to the question of whether they would encourage their child to pursue their profession. At the same time, however, the messages coming from the cooperative side are promising, as 90% of respondents would encourage a young farmer to join a collective scheme. 

Furthermore, Ms. Tsiforou referred to long-term trends emerging from the data of the study, raising concerns regarding the reduction of land, economic figures, and employment in the fruit and vegetables, cereals, viticulture, olive, and milk sectors, while she presented the “x-ray” of the main economic parameters and the trade balance of Greek agriculture for the year 2023.

In parallel with the presentation of the research – study, the presentation of  10 Operational Innovation Groups coordinated or in which GAIA EPICHEIREIN and NEUROPUBLIC participate as innovation facilitators took place, with presentations   by representatives of the academic/research community, Agricultural Cooperatives and the Ministry of Rural Development & Food.

The 10^th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture was organized in the context of the CAP4Food  project, implemented by GAIA EPICHEIREIN between 2023-2024, with the support of the General Directorate of Agriculture of the European Commission, and was held under the auspices of the Peloponnese region, and the Messinian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The detailed minutes of the Congress will be available soon, while the recorded footage will soon be uploaded on the Youtube channel of GAIA EPICHEIREIN.

You can find and download photographic material from the 10^th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture here

You can find the publications of the Congress:

– “Challenges and conditions for the sustainable transition of key productive sectors of Greek agriculture” (GR) here

– “Greek Agriculture 2023 – Key economic figures, developments at EU level, trade balance of agricultural products” (GR) here