This year’s European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) Congress, held in Bonn, brought together over 1,000 scientists, experts, stakeholders, and policymakers from across the globe to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the agri-food sector.
The plenary sessions of the Bonn 2025 Congress focused on the widely acknowledged need for food system transformation to achieve global sustainability goals. A key emphasis was placed on how agricultural economics can help the agri-food system address the challenges posed by conflicting and competing interests. The contributed paper and poster sessions, as well as the organised symposia, reflected the broader activities of the community, offering an even wider scope than the plenary sessions.
Several Tools4CAP partners and the project coordinator took part in the symposium “CAP Strategic Planning: Perspectives and Tools.” The session, chaired by our partner Trevor Donnellan (Teagasc), brought together leading experts and policymakers to reflect on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the role of evidence-based tools in shaping strategic plans.
The session provided valuable insights into the proposed changes to the CAP under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034), alongside a discussion of modelling tools and strategic planning in agricultural policy. It also highlighted the integration of the CAP into a single National and Regional Partnership Fund (NRPF), which some view as a potential “renationalisation” of agricultural policy.
Key points from the discussions included:
- The critical importance of science-policy collaboration to strengthen strategic planning and enhance policy outcomes.
- The need for multiple linked models to assess sustainability dimensions (economic, environmental, social).
- The challenges and opportunities for advancing evidence-based policymaking under current and future CAP frameworks.
Presentations
- CAP Strategic Plans: Smokescreens Or Instruments For Evidence-Based Policy? – Erjavec Emil, Ilona Rac and Luka Juvancic (University of Ljubljana)
- New Approaches for Policymaking: Popularising Modelling Tools for CAP Strategic Planning – Ana Rosa González Martínez, Roel Jongeneel and Marcel van Asseldonk (Wageningen Social & Economic Research)
