European platform

The European Platform for Food Sovereignty (EPFS) is a loosely organised alliance of different national platforms. Our platforms are composed of five ‘families’ of stakeholders: farmers unions, development NGOs, environmental organisations, and in some cases also consumers’ associations, workers’ unions. More than 150 European civil society organisations are represented within the EPFS.

See <- For a list of the national platforms

Historical background

Most of the national platforms started their activities in the eighties and nineties, .e. in lobbying the European Parliament. The tradition of cooperation in such coalitions or platforms originated in more or less ten 'old' member states of the EU, but similar initiatives were later also launched in new member states like Hungary and other European countries like Switzerland and Norway.

In May 2003, a more formal cooperation was established after the approval of a list of 9 principles (see bellow). These principles are still guiding the common work among the platforms.

The European common action we started with was about the reform of the European sugar regime. But even if our voices were heard in the Parliament and in the Commission, we didn’t succeed in changing the policies in the way we wanted.
The big challenge now is to strengthen the work of the EPFS in all the different countries, to demonstrate the value of the food sovereignty political framework to the European institutions, and to improve the CAP (European Common Agricultural Policy) before 2013 
 

Principles

In our view, a new Common Agricultural Policy should respect the following principles, jointly :

1. Respect for human rights and food sovereignty;
   
2. Food and agriculture products are no mere merchandise. The market should be regulated and subjected to the principles mentioned below;
   
3. Maintaining socially, ecologically and economically sustainable family farming in all the European regions ;
   
4. Promoting ecologically, socially and economically sustainable systems of production that produce healthy food and respect animal welfare ;
   
5. Remunerative farm prices that cover all production costs and ensure a fair income to farmers ;
   
6. A CAP based on adequate supply management tools to meet internal demand for basic products and end all dumping practices;
   
7. Favouring regional and local markets. In a new CAP the principle of community preference should apply to products under a supply management regime ; the regional level (Europe) is adequate for establishing agricultural policies in general ;
8. As far as solidarity with farmers within and outside the EU is concerned: rejection of dumping practices and maintenance of the principle of preferential agreements for imports from developing countries in a way that respects their sustainable development. Dumping could be reduced greatly by prohibiting all direct and indirect export subsidies and by ending damaging food aid practices ;
   
9. An underlying principle for the points mentioned above is the equal right to access to natural resources such as the soil, water and seeds. Because patented GMOs would not allow to guarantee this right, we are opposed to their introduction.

 
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Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples, communities, and countries to define their own agricultural, labor, fishing, food and land policies which are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally appropriate to their unique circumstances. This must be done without dumping on third markets. It includes the true right to food and to produce food, which means that all people have the right to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food and to food-producing resources and the ability to sustain themselves and their societies.
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See newsletter 13 for recent developments (2010)

(See <- newsletters)