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Article published in Italian on Il Riformista

The Commission tries to take corrective action, but the announced tariffs are not the definitive answer: we are far from solving the problem of European vulnerability.

Mario Draghi says that Europe is vulnerable. And he’s right. Look at what has happened to the availability of wheat since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Two years ago, the initial fear of supply contraction, which had triggered a speculative spiral, proved false. Now Brussels has realized that European citizens still eat Russian wheat. Thus fueling Putin’s war, on one hand. On the other, engaging in unfair competition with domestic production. In 2023 alone, Europe imported 4.2 million tons, valued at 1.3 billion euros, from Russia. Belarus, for its part, sold us 610,000 tons (246 million euros).

Here, the vulnerability lies precisely in this. In order to ensure a certain food security for its 450 million citizens, Europe depends on external supplies, even from those who do not share our political values and much less environmental ambitions.

Now, the Commission intends to take corrective action. The announced tariffs include a rate of 95 euros per ton on Russian maize and wheat, while other products would be subject to a 50% ad valorem duty. This is a move aimed at calming the spirits of Polish, Hungarian, and partly Italian farmers. Hence the praise from Coldiretti.

However, we are far from solving the problem of European vulnerability. In mid-January last year, following the Commission’s approval, the seed industry had hoped that the regulation on new genomic techniques (NGT), known in Italy as TEA (Assisted Evolution Techniques), would pave the way for a series of investments in research and development, essential for the production of quality cereals resistant to diseases. However, both the NGT provision and the one on Plant Reproductive Material, which should regulate the use of plant reproductive material, remained stalled in trilogies and, given the June vote, it is easy to imagine that they will be left to the will of the next legislature.

“Plant breeding has historically and continues to make a significant contribution to the increase in European agricultural production,” said Garlich von Essen, Secretary-General of Euroseeds, the organization representing European companies, but not only, producing and researching seeds. We are talking about a sector that, according to Commission data, is a primary item for European exports, covering a 20% share of the global market for these products, with a value ranging from 7 to 15 billion euros. Von Essen explains that, given the climate of global uncertainty, this legislative vacuum does not at all favor farmers. “To continue to contribute to the objectives of the Green Deal, we need a clear European regulatory framework that allows and promotes innovations in the field of seeds and plant breeding,” von Essen declared at the event organized by Competere at the European Parliament, entitled “Farm2Fork: Assessing progress and envisioning tomorrow“.

Apart from street protests, seed producers make clear and concrete proposals. They demand updated legislation that safeguards fair competition for producers and ensures farmers’ access to reliable information and high-quality seeds, introducing where necessary more harmonized control procedures among Member States. Planting healthy seeds is necessary to cultivate healthy crops and reduce the spread of pests and diseases and reduce the need for pesticides. Plant health is of fundamental importance for the plant reproductive material used for agricultural production. It’s a matter of food security, sustainability, but also of Europe’s resilience as a strong player in the global market. In a single word, resilience. Therefore, as necessary as it is, merely tripping up Putin is not enough.