Close Menu
    Latest Category
    • Finance
    • Tech
    • EU Law
    • Energy
    • About
    • Contact
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Login
    • EU News
    • Focus
    • Guides
    • Press
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Directory
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Home » SMEunited calls for a stronger SME inclusion in Vision for Agriculture and Food
    SMEs in the EU

    SMEunited calls for a stronger SME inclusion in Vision for Agriculture and Food

    Sponsored By: SMEunited20 February 2025No Comments2 Mins Read
    — Filed under: Press
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    “SMEs play a key role in rural and coastal areas, providing in day-to-day needs, employment, economic stability and social cohesion. They are a crucial partner for farmers as well, as suppliers and in processing the agricultural produce. Often preserving local traditions. To ensure the proposals in the vision for agriculture and food actually work, it is important to involve SME stakeholders in the design and implementation of these policies”, stated SMEunited Secretary General Véronique Willems in a first reaction to the publication of the Vision for Agriculture and Food.

    Image by der_niels from Pixabay

    Food processing SMEs and artisanal food producers play an essential role in Europe’s agrifood landscape. These businesses uphold traditional techniques, contribute to regional identity, and add significant value to agricultural raw materials.

    The Vision for Agriculture and Food should acknowledge the interdependence between farmers and these locally rooted SMEs. Strengthening short supply chains and enhancing market access for artisanal and high-quality food products will ensure that Europe’s rich culinary heritage continues to thrive in a modern, competitive agri-food sector.

    Similar to farmers, issues such as generational change, unfair trading practices and declining rural areas also affect SMEs in rural and coastal areas. Hence, SMEunited calls for a meaningful involvement of SMEs.

    As part of the Vision for Agriculture and Food, SMEunited welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for an updated EU Rural Action Plan and the introduction of a ‘rural proofing principle’ aimed at revitalising rural areas. We strongly support participatory development tools such as LEADER, community-led local development, and Smart Villages, which should be further strengthened to drive local economic growth and innovation. SMEunited emphasises the importance of reconnecting food with its local origins by highlighting the importance of territory, seasonality and cultural traditions. In order to ensure that different perspectives are represented, we also urge the inclusion of SME representatives in the forthcoming Food Dialogue.

    The proposed revision of the Unfair Trading Practices Directive should extend its scope and introduce new prohibitions on buyer threats and forced overstocking of perishable goods. In addition, harmonised sanctions and improved cross-border enforcement should ensure fair practices. SMEunited welcomes the focus on the transition of local agri-food SMEs and call for the inclusion of SME representatives in the Transition Pathway platform. Furthermore, we note the efforts to improve the Agri-Food Code of Conduct to ensure better representation of SMEs.

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    eub2
    • Website

    eub2 is the default publisher for EUbusiness.

    Related Content

    Water tap - Image by Jonas KIM from Pixabay

    Making the European water ecosystem future-proof

    Sponsor: SMEunited4 June 2025
    Business consulting - Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels

    Startups and scaleups need stronger Single Market and Capital Markets Union to succeed in Europe

    Sponsor: SMEunited29 May 2025
    Stéphane Séjourné - Photo - © European Union 2025

    New EU strategy to boost startups and innovation

    Trade port cargo - Image by Pexels from Pixabay

    Single Market Strategy 2025: encouraging first step; EU institutions commitment is key

    Sponsor: EuroCommerce22 May 2025
    Company board meeting - Image by Tung Lam from Pixabay

    Single Market Strategy: from ambitions into action

    Sponsor: SMEunited21 May 2025
    Construction workers - Photo by Mikael Blomkvist on Pexels

    EU proposes new cuts to red tape for European businesses

    LATEST EU NEWS
    Euro - ECB-Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

    Markets breathe easier as Trump hedges on Iran-Israel conflict – Euro currency news daily

    20 June 2025
    Investment - Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels

    EU agrees on shorter settlement cycle for securities trading

    18 June 2025
    Trade front loader beside intermodal containers - Photo by Chanaka on Pexels

    MEPs seal deal with Council to simplify EU carbon leakage instrument

    18 June 2025
    Health research - Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

    EU awards EUR 721m funding for cutting-edge research

    17 June 2025
    mobile-phone-Smartphone - Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay

    Brussels proposes cheap calls for Ukrainians in EU from 2026

    17 June 2025

    Subscribe to EUbusiness Week

    Get the latest EU news

    CONTACT INFO

    • EUbusiness Ltd 117 High Street, Chesham Buckinghamshire, HP5 1DE United Kingdom
    • +44(0)20 8058 8232
    • service@eubusiness.com

    INFORMATION

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Info

    Services

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • EU News

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Facebook
    eubusiness.com © EUbusiness Ltd 2025

    Design and developed by : 

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?