The conference was opened by Isabel Bombal , Director General of Rural Development, Innovation and Forestry Policy at MAPA , who underlined the importance of the current situation, marked by negotiations and agreements regarding the future CAP, a process in which the opinions of civil society must be taken into account.

From the European Commission , Ricard Ramón i Sumoy , Head of the Deputy Unit of the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission (CE) , explained the importance of the Partnership in the path towards the future CAP : “ It is important to have the participation of public administrations and relevant socio-economic actors to design and implement the Strategic Plan , key elements for achieving solid plans with a guarantee of success, through transparent processes and based on rigorous studies and analysis” .

The changes implemented in the governance and planning of the CAP were also discussed, with interventions organized more effectively and based on results, and with a simplification of the CAP compared to the previous period.

The European Commission is focusing on the importance of data, as "decisions must be based on evidence," Ricardo Ramón stressed.

Opinions expressed in the debate

Both the attendees in the room and the people who were able to follow the meeting via streaming had the opportunity to share their opinions and the proposals of the entities they represented through an online participatory dynamic , reviewing the most relevant aspects of thenine Specific Objectives : three of an economic nature , three of an environmental nature and 3 of a social nature , plus the cross-cutting objective of knowledge and innovation .

Among the Member States, it was emphasized that Spain is progressing at a very good pace in the preparation of the National Strategic Plan , in line with the timeline presented by the EC .

Ignacio Atance , from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, pointed out that the first phase of the diagnosis is almost complete and that the second and third phases are expected to be completed by 2020, designing interventions and drafting the first draft of the National Strategic Plan.

Fernando Miranda , Secretary General of Agriculture and Food, emphasized that the Ministry would continue holding meetings with both government agencies and civil society, environmental organizations, and farmers throughout 2020 to further enhance the work already done.

It was announced that a third meeting with the Partnership will be held by the end of 2020.

The MAPA invited everyone to continue participating in the work planned for the development of the National Strategic Plan, providing proposals, comments and reflections via email at bzn-participac2020@mapa.es .

Evolution of the partnership

The first meeting of the Partnership was held on December 20, 2018, and aimed to report on the proposed CAP Regulations and gather input from business associations, trade unions, civil society, and the government, both at the national and regional levels.

Exactly one year later, the second meeting was held to present the progress of the work , with some uncertainties now cleared up, in order to continue moving toward a more effective CAP and addressing the real needs of the region and the Member State as a whole.

This meeting had a dual objective: to share progress on the development of the Strategic Plan, and to listen to and receive feedback from those present.

The entire event can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

To delve deeper into all of the above, more information can be found at this web link .