“Europe’s strategic autonomy begins in the field, on the farm and within the food supply chain. Without food security, European sovereignty is an illusion,” emphasised Minister Stefan Krajewski as he opened the ministers’ debate during the Global Food Forum 2026 in Brussels.

European agriculture has reached a turning point at which one thesis clearly emerged: without a strong Common Agricultural Policy, the European Union will not be able to build genuine strategic autonomy. Participants in the debate stressed that the past decade – marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war against Ukraine, the energy crisis, inflation and growing social tensions in rural areas – has exposed the fragility of previous assumptions about a stable and predictable geopolitical environment for Europe.

During the debate, particular emphasis was placed on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It was underlined that the CAP is not merely an instrument for supporting farmers’ incomes, but one of the key pillars of the stability of the entire European Union. Thanks to the common agricultural policy, it has been possible to maintain continuity of food production during the unprecedented crises of recent years, stabilise agricultural markets and protect the single market from disintegration.

A warning against further fragmentation and the effective renationalisation of agricultural policy was voiced repeatedly. Participants pointed out that 27 separate sovereign food systems would mean dismantling one of the most important shared foundations of the EU, undermining the principles of the single market and increasing internal tensions between Member States. The CAP – although requiring simplification and greater flexibility – was identified as an indispensable common instrument ensuring a level playing field, a minimum level of income security for farmers and regulatory coherence across the European Union.

“The Common Agricultural Policy must remain a stable pillar of European food sovereignty. If we break it up into 27 different national models, we will lose not only the single market, but also the capacity to respond to crises. In agriculture, Europe must act together – otherwise it will be weaker in relation to external partners and internally divided,” noted Stefan Krajewski.

 

During the Forum, attention was also drawn to the need to strengthen Europe’s self-sufficiency in key links of production – particularly with regard to plant protein and fertilisers – as well as the necessity of investing in innovation, digitalisation, water management, storage infrastructure and transport. Participants agreed that ambitions concerning food sovereignty and the resilience of supply chains must be supported by adequate funding at the EU level – otherwise the new tasks of the CAP will remain merely a political declaration rather than a real strengthening of Europe’s autonomy.

About the Forum

Global Food Forum 2026 was organised by Farm Europe – a European association of economic experts and a think tank analysing agricultural, food and rural development policies. The Forum took place on 2–3 March 2026 in Brussels and was devoted to rebuilding Europe’s foundations through strengthening the Common Agricultural Policy and common EU mechanisms preventing the fragmentation of agricultural policies and the weakening of agricultural production in Europe.