The chair and political group coordinators will meet at 22.30 to assess the performance and qualification of the Commissioner-designate.

Vision to improve conditions of farmers

In his introductory statement, Christophe Hansen, Commissioner-designate for Agriculture and Food, said that nine million farms supply Europeans with safe and high quality food while being Europe’s first line of defence against biodiversity loss and climate change. However, they also experience increasing economic pressure from global competition and are the first to suffer from extreme weather events.

Mr Hansen committed to build on and continue the “Strategic Dialogue” initiated by the Commission President, visit farmers throughout the continent, and develop – in close cooperation with Parliament – a vision for the future agricultural and food policy during his first 100 days in office.

Having grown up on a farm, Mr Hansen said he would pay special attention to an accessible land market and fair…