PROGRAMME

Workshop 1
Day 1

Farmers’ Cooperatives: A beacon for Sustainable and Competitive Agriculture through Innovation

23rd October
09:00 - 12:30

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Registration

09:00

start

10:00

end

Opening Words

Florentin Bercu

Cogeca Vice-President

10:00

start

10:05

end

Welcome and Introduction

Moderator:
Dr. Fotis Filippopoulos

10:05

start

10:10

end

Keynote Speaker

Stefan Top

Managing Director AVR, CEMA Board Member

César González

Manager Public Affairs, Euroseeds

10:10

start

10:50

end

Panel Discussion

Stefan Top

Managing Director AVR, CEMA Board Member

César González

Manager Public Affairs, Euroseeds

Marzia Di Pastina

Managing Partner, San Lidano Group

Konstantinos Giannopoulos

Director General EASTH

Gunilla Aschan

Board member of Lantmännen

Closing Remarks

Florentin Bercu

Cogeca Vice-President

12:20

start

12:30

end

LUNCH

12:30

start

14:00

end

Workshop 2
Day 1

Sustainable Practices for a Sustainable Future

23rd OCTOBER
13:00 - 18:00

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Registration

13:00

start

14:00

end

Opening words by Nikolaus Berlakovich, Copa Vice-President

14:00

start

14:05

end

Introduction by the Moderator (Panel 1)

Andrea Rubini

Director, Water Europe

14:05

start

14:10

end

Keynote Speaker

Adriano Battilani

General Secretary, Irrigants d’Europe

14:10

start

14:25

end

Panel 1: Water: Cultivating Resilience in Agricultural Water Management

Adriano Battilani

General Secretary, Irrigants d’Europe

Claudia Olazabal

Head of Unit, DG ENVI, Sustainable Freshwater Management

Maira Dzelzkaleja-Burmistre

Vice-Chairwoman of the Farmers Parliament

Rafael Casielles

R&D Senior Project Manager, BIOAZUL SL.

14:25

start

15:45

end

Conclusions by the Moderator

Andrea Rubini

Director, Water Europe

15:45

start

15:50

end

Coffee break

15:50

start

16:10

end

Introduction by the Moderator (Panel 2)

Tessa Avermaete

Postdoctoral Researcher and Project Manager at KU Leuven

16:10

start

16:15

end

Keynote Speaker

Enda Buckley

Director of Sustainability at Carbery Group Dairy Co-operative ( ICOS)

16:15

start

16:30

end

Panel 2: Circular bioeconomy – concrete solutions to increase the added value of farming production

Enda Buckley

Director of Sustainability at Carbery Group Dairy Co-operative ( ICOS)

Pedro Luis Cordero Castillo

President, FEFAC

Iulia Sima

Vice-president Agroplant, UNCSV

Virginia Puzzolo

Head of Programme, Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking

16:30

start

17:50

end

Conclusions by the Moderator

Tessa Avermaete

Postdoctoral Researcher and Project Manager at KU Leuven

17:50

start

17:55

end

Closing remarks by Nikolaus Berlakovich, Copa Vice-President

17:55

start

18:00

end

Welcoming Dinner at “Caru’ cu bere”

20:00

start

00:00

end

Plenary Session
Day 2

24th October
08:00 - 13:00

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Coffee and Registration

08:00

start

08:30

end

Moderator

Damien O'Reilly

ICOS

08:30

start

08:45

end

Welcoming address

Ionel Arion

President of PRO AGRO

Representative of the Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation (AAC), Romania

08:45

start

08:50

end

Opening speech by President of Cogeca Mr Lennart Nilsson

08:50

start

09:00

end

Video message

Ms. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament

09:00

start

09:05

end

Institutional Addresses

Marcel Ciolacu

Prime Minister of Romania

Florin-Ionuţ Barbu

Minister of Agriculture of Romania

István Nagy

President in office of the EU Agricultural Council (Hungarian Minister of Agriculture)

09:05

start

09:55

end

Panel Session 1: After the EU elections what priorities for the EU?

Agnieszka Maliszewska

First Vice-President of COGECA, Director of the Polish Chamber of Milk

Geneviève Pons

Director General Europe Jacques Delors

Peter Strohschneider

Prof. Dr. phil. Peter Strohschneider Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany

Olivier de Matos

Director General CropLife Europe

09:55

start

11:10

end

Coffee break

11:10

start

11:35

end

Panel Session 2: Challenges and opportunities for European agriculture

Jan DOLEŽAL

Copa Vice-President

Mihail Dumitru

Deputy Director General, DG Agri

Prof. Dr. Stefan Schepers

Executive Director High Level Group on EU Policy Innovation

Viorel Gutu

Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia

11:40

start

13:00

end

Lunch

13:00

start

14:30

end

Presentation of the main outcomes of the workshops

Florentin Bercu

Cogeca Vice-President

Nikolaus Berlakovich

Copa Vice-President

14:30

start

14:45

end

Panel Session 3: Agri-food trade and the geo-political context

Christian Høeg-Andersen

Cogeca Vice-President

Flavio Coturni

Head of Unit, Trade.D.3, Agriculture, Food and Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures

Doaa Abdel-Motaal

Senior Counsellor at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agriculture and Commodities Division

Sébastien Abis

Director, Club DEMETER

14:45

start

16:15

end

Coffee Break

16:15

start

16:45

end

Panel Session 4: What agricultural policy does the EU need?

Franck Sander

Copa Vice-President

Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle

Director of Directorate A – Strategy and Policy Analysis in DG Agriculture and Rural Development

Peter Meedendorp

President CEJA

Antoine Hoxha

Director General at Fertilizers Europe

16:45

start

17:45

end

Closing speech by Massimiliano Giansanti, President of Copa

17:45

start

18:00

end

Gala Dinner

Restaurant Hanu’lui Manuc Str. Franceză 62-64, București 030106, Romania https://hanumanucrestaurant.ro/en/

20:00

start

00:00

end



Technical Visits
Day 3

25th October

Visits organised by the Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation

*The visits will take place near Bucharest. Details and further information will be provided in the upcoming weeks.
**A maximum of 140 people per location can be accommodated on a first come, first served basis.
*** The visits cost 50 € per person and will be included in the registration fee.

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TECHNICAL VISIT 1. Agroindustriala Pantelimon – Farm park for animals

Departure from the Hotel at 08.30
Return at 15.30 to the Hotel
Maximum capacity for visit 100 people

Come and visit the dairy farm "Agroindustriala Pantelimon", a Holstein cows farm together with a Farm Park for Animals. The farm, was built on the site where the School of Agriculture from Bucharest was located at the end of the last century and started operating in 1973, with 500 pregnant Holstein cows brought from Denmark. Currently, the dairy farm has approximately 500 cows and produces over 5000 litres of the best quality milk daily. The farm covers 400ha in arable crops.

Feel free to visit the website of the farm HERE!
A video of the farm can be found HERE!

After visiting the farm, lunch will be taken in the Farm Park for Animals.
Do let us know in time if you have any allergies or special dietary requirements

08:00

start

15:30

end















TECHNICAL VISIT 2. Farm, Distillery and Agricultural Cooperative

Departure from the Hotel at 08.00
Return at 16.00 to the Hotel
Maximum capacity for visit 75 people

Farm ALVALEX
Founded in 1993 in Călinești, Teleorman County, the Farm SC ALVALEX SRL is an example of excellence in modern agriculture, under the leadership of farmer Alexandru HAITĂ. With a cultivated area of approximately 1100 hectares, the farm has adapted to climatic and economic challenges by implementing innovative and sustainable solutions, adopting conservation agriculture in order to improve soil quality and protect the environment. It has recently developed a livestock section on sheep for meat. With a focus on crop diversification and the use of the latest agricultural technologies, SC ALVALEX SRL is a model of transition towards sustainable agriculture, contributing to the transformation of this sector for a greener and more profitable future.

Tinoasa Agricultural Cooperative
Founded in 2010, the Tinoasa Agricultural Cooperative in Călinești, Teleorman County, is a key player in Romanian agriculture, bringing together 36 members and farming an area of about 21,000 hectares. The cooperative specialises in the trade of agricultural raw materials, such as cereals and oilseeds, with a turnover of €23 million in 2023. It plans to make a storage and processing investment worth approx. seven million euros. An innovative aspect of the cooperative's activity is the storage of agricultural production in silobags, which ensures that the quality of the grain is preserved in optimal conditions. Continuous investments in modern technologies and efficient solutions support farmers' development and maximize their profits.

Măgura Zamfirei Distillery
Alexandru HAITĂ, with more than 15 years of experience in cereal cultivation, gave birth to the Măgura Zamfirei Distillery, located in Călinești, Teleorman County. The distillery was founded as a natural step in the farm's evolution towards the production of premium, 100% natural distillates. Surrounded by the right ingredients and expertise, the distillery uses state-of-the-art technology, automation and digitalization to create high quality products. Măgura Zamfirei Distillery has become a symbol of Teleorman County, contributing to the creation of an authentic local identity through products and stories with Romanian roots. Gin tastings in local venues, accompanied by traditional dishes, complete the authentic experience offered to visitors. For more information about the distillery and its products, visit the official website.

During this technical visit you will be able to see, the state of the fall crops, the livestock farm and the distillery. During the lunch, there will be a tasting of the WORLD BEST GIN 2024 and a presentation of the TINOASA Agricultural Cooperative.
Do let us know in time if you have any allergies or special dietary requirements

08:00

start

16:00

end






















TECHNICAL VISIT 3. VEGETABLE FARM

Departure from the Hotel at 08.30
Return at 15.30 to the Hotel
Maximum capacity for visit 50 people

EXCLUSIVELY VEGETABLES is a family farm, located in Vărăști, Giurgiu County, 30km from Bucharest. We were established in 2015 but the family has more than 30 years of experience in growing vegetables. They grow fresh vegetables in protected areas and open fields, such us: tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, pumpkins, kohlrabi, greens, green onions, cucumbers, cauliflower, etc., all GLOBAL GAP certified. The latest generation technologies applied within the farm are monitored, all phytosanitary and fertigation actions are carried out as a result of the results of laboratory analyses of water, soil and plants. The cultivated areas (together with the family) are one ha of foil tunnels, one ha of heated greenhouse, three ha of vegetables in the field, accompanied by sorting, packaging and storage space of approx. 500 sq m. On the 25th of October, you will most probably find them growing lettuce, dill and parsley and our fresh products will be available in retail.
Lunch will be served.
Do let us know in time if you have any allergies or special dietary requirements.

08:30

start

15:30

end