Radisson Blu Hotel, Bucharest (RO)
An event organised in close collaboration with AAC - Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation
The Congress of European Farmers represents a key moment for Copa-Cogeca and its members, cooperatives and farmers’ organisations from across the EU. Since 2005, the European Farmers’ Congress has been organised every two years in a different country in partnership with Copa-Cogeca's local members.
AboutMarcel Ciolacu is a Romanian politician who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Romania since 2023. Prior to this he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies on two occasions, between 2019 and 2020, and from 2021 to 2023. He has was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2012, and was appointed leader of the Social Democratic Party of Romania in 2019. Alongside his activities in national politics, he owns a pastry shop and consultancy firm in his Buzău County constituency. In 1995 he obtained a law degree from the Ecological University of Bucharest and in 2012 he completed a masters' programme in the Management of the Public Sector at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration.
Florin-Ionuț Barbu is a Romanian politician, currently serving as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development since 2023. Prior to this, Barbu has held leadership roles in Romania's public administration, and he is known for his expertise in agricultural policies and rural development strategies, previously acting as Director of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture. He was subsequently elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2020, as a member of the Social Democratic Party. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a PhD in Economics from the University of Craiova
István Nagy is a Hungarian agricultural engineer and politician who has served as the Minister of Agriculture since 2018 and is Chairman of the Agrifish Council under Hungary's Presidency of the Council of. the EU. He joined the National Assembly in 2010 and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary of State for Agriculture in 2014. Prior to his career in national politics, he taught at the Péter Veres Agricultural Vocational High School and the University of West Hungary in Mosonmagyaróvár. He obtained a degree in Agrarian Engineering from the Pannon University of Agricultural Sciences in 1992 and received a PhD from the University of West Hungary (NYME) in 2007.
Geneviève Pons is an Honorary Director of the European Commission where she held several positions before becoming Director of the ILO’s Legal Service in 2013, and Director of the WWF’s European Office in 2015. Since 2017, she heads Europe Jacques Delors. Geneviève is considered by Politico as one of the most influential women in Brussels, notably in the field of environment – here she has over 30 years experience and from 1991 to 1995, was in charge of environmental and climate matters in the Delors Cabinet. Among her other activities, she also chairs the citizens engagement group of the EU Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters, and is a member of the jury for the European Book Prize. Geneviève is a Knight of the Legion of Honour.
A national of the Republic of Moldova, Viorel Gutu was appointed to the post of FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia in February 2024. Prior to that he was FAO Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and Representative for Türkiye and Uzbekistan. He joined FAO in 2014 as the head of the FAO Tajikistan office, leading the Country Office. Before joining FAO, Gutu was Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry in the Republic of Moldova. He also served as an economic affairs officer with the United Nations Transitional Administration in Timor-Leste, where he dealt with peacekeeping operations, poverty alleviation and the prevention of emergency situations. He holds a PhD in economics.
Sébastien Abis is Director of Club DEMETER, focusing on international and cross-sectoral issues relating to agriculture, food and sustainable development. He is also a Research Associate at the Institute of Strategic and International Relations (IRIS), focusing on geopolitical expertise on agriculture and food security. He teaches at the Université Catholique and Junia in Lille, and the UM6P in Rabat, Morocco. Among previous positions, he served in CIHEAM, an intergovernmental organisation, from 2005 to 2016. He has also published numerous books, most recently "Veut-on nourrir le monde? Franchir l'Everest alimentaire en 2050" in 2024. Sébastien is a reserve officer in the French Navy and a Knight in the National Order of Agriculture.
Wolfgang Burtscher has been Director General of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development at the European Commission (DG AGRI) since April 2020. Previously, from 2009 to 2020, he was Deputy Director-General of DG Research and Innovation, where he was responsible for agriculture, food and health. From 2000 to 2009, he was Director at DG AGRI, and responsible for legal issues, quality policy and the control of agricultural expenditure. Before 2000, he was a representative of the Federal States in the Permanent Representation of Austria to the EU.
Peter Meedendorp has served as President of CEJA since June 2023. Prior to this he was appointed to the national board of NAJK, representing Dutch young farmers within CEJA. Peter is a young farmer from The Netherlands. He works in a partnership with his parents and brother on their arable family farm, where they grow starch potatoes, sugar beets, barley, onions, fiber hemp, and corn. They also provide contract work in the dairy sector and are involved in agricultural nature management. With a background in International Relations at the University of Groningen and Agricultural Economics from Wageningen University and Research, along with a passion for farming, he is actively engaged in national and EU agricultural policy.
An event organised in close collaboration with AAC - Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation
