New governance elected for AREFLH

The AREFLH General Assembly, celebrating its 25th anniversary, concentrated on the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food, the updates to the CMO and CSP* regulations, and water resilience. During the Assembly, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco Monterreal, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development for the Andalucia Region, was elected as the new President, and Lisa Martini, Director of the Italian APO F.IN.A.F, was chosen as Vice-President.

Ernesto Fernández Pardo, the Director General of Industry and Agri-Food Chain for the Valencian Region, initiated the discussion by welcoming the participants and emphasizing, "Valencia is proud to host AREFLH 25 years after its first meeting in this city."

The initial segment of the conference focused on the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food. Ricard Ramon i Sumoy, the acting head of unit A.1 of the DG AGRI (EU Commission), emphasized the significance of this strategic document in the new policy cycle, which will guide the reform of the CAP in the upcoming financial framework. Representatives from local authorities and producers shared their perspectives and concerns about the future of EU agriculture. They unanimously agreed on the necessity of "maintaining a dedicated CAP budget while encouraging new market-based sources of income."

The second panel addressed the recent proposal to amend the CMO and SPR regulations. Fabien Santini, Head of unit E.1 at DG AGRI, and Luc Berlottier, Senior Expert and Coordinator at unit B.1 of DG AGRI, emphasized that "Fruit and vegetable sectoral interventions must prioritize market aggregation. The recent efforts to foster simplification and investments should enhance long-term viability for all actors in the chain." Two MEPs also participated in the discussion: Eric Sargiacomo, Vice-President of the AGRI Committee, and Céline Imart, the rapporteur for this legislative file in the AGRI Committee. The speakers highlighted the necessity of amending the proposal to prevent unintended harm to POs and APOs, such as the 33% limit on national production for APOs or the new provisions concerning unrecognized POs.

© AREFLHJean-Louis Moulon, Simona Caselli, Lisa Martini, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco

The third panel of the conference focused on water resilience in the fruit and vegetable sector. Martin Adams, Head of the Environment Department, European Environmental Agency and author of the EU 2024 State of Water Report, called attention to the fact that "appropriate water storage solutions and restoration of wetlands can be tools to help mitigate the flood impacts, support biodiversity and store water for drier periods". He exchanged with several AREFLH experts, representing both regions and producers. José-Vicente Benadero García-Morato, Deputy Director General of Hydraulic Planning and Infrastructures in the Regional Government of Valencia, stated that "what Valencia has suffered should serve as a wake-up call for the EU to take this issue seriously".

The newly elected president Ramón Fernández-Pacheco thanked the Valencian Region for generously hosting this meeting and concluded that 'for Andalusia, it is a great opportunity to be able to represent and promote the entire fruit and vegetable sector and the excellence of its fresh produce'. Also, the new vice-president Lisa Martini declared that "AREFLH is ready to combine commitment, skills and enthusiasm to face the challenges and seize the opportunities for the next three years".

Finally, they announced that the next General Meeting will be held in March 2026 in the region of Andalucia.