World
Von der Leyen opens dialogue to reach ‘consensus’ on future of farming
Agri-food actors have been summoned to Brussels by the European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to help forge a new long-term vision for agriculture amid mounting protests from farmers across the continent.
The strategic dialogue for the future of agriculture was announced in von der Leyen’s annual State of the Union address to cope with increasing polarisation in the agriculture and food policy debate.
The initiative comes at a moment of stalemate in the implementation of the EU’s flagship food policy Farm to Fork and while struggling farmers are taking to the streets throughout Europe claiming to be neglected by policymakers.
“I think we all sense that there is an increasing division and polarisation when it comes to topics related to agriculture,” von der Leyen said at the kick-off meeting of the dialogue in Brussels on Thursday (25 January).
The main goal, according to the commission president, is to collect thoughts, ideas, and proposals to develop scenarios for the future of agriculture that will feed into the work of the current and potentially the forthcoming EU executive.
Topics of discussion will range from elevating the standard of living for farmers and boosting the attractiveness of rural communities to making agriculture more sustainable and exploiting opportunities offered by technical innovations.
“This dialogue aims to find a new consensus on issues which we all struggle with,” said von der Leyen, claiming she wished to find “a new way forward and common and lasting solutions” for European agriculture.
Decisions by consensus alone
Consensus is fundamental to the initiative, which consists of a reflection group with a limited number of invited actors from farmers’ cooperatives, agri-business, and rural communities, as well as non-governmental organisations and civil society representatives, financial institutions and academia.
German Professor Peter Strohschneider, who chaired a similar special committee for the German federal government in 2020-21, will direct studies divided between different sectoral groups.
When a smaller group reaches a provisional consensus on a given topic, it may submit a draft paper for a form of plenary discussion within the strategic dialogue.
“We will see how far we get, how often we have to revise papers of this kind and send them back to a working group, or whether we can make them the basis for drafting the final report,” said an EU official close to the organisational aspects of the dialogue.
The main objective is to produce a final report based on a common vision among the key agri-food actors by the end of the summer.
Criticism on invitations
The initial meeting attracted criticism since stakeholders were only invited to attend at the end of last week, deemed insufficient notice for preparation by many.
Others complained about the absence of some traditional agriculture stakeholders, and the overrepresentation of environmental NGOs and the downstream of the agri-food chain such as food manufacturers and retailers.
“They invited the WWF. What they’re going to bring at the table – bamboo?” was among the stronger comments from excluded stakeholders heard by Euronews.
“We can’t invite everybody, so we had to carry out a selection,” said a Commission spokesperson, adding that the executive had been “extremely representative in the choices made in trying to reflect the diversity”.
According the several sources, the list of the 30 guests was drafted by the European Green Deal contact point in the von der Leyen’s cabinet, Peter Van Kemseke.
Among the major agriculture players excluded by the dialogue, were the EU pesticide lobby CropLife Europe and the agriculture machinery industry (CEMA). “The Commission excluded some of the main associations dealing with technologies,” CEMA Secretary General Jelte Wiersma told Euronews.
World
Kim Jong Un calls for North Korea to build 2 large warships per year in major naval expansion push: report
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday called for a major expansion of the country’s naval forces, suggesting the regime should build two large warships each year for the next five years.
Speaking at a commissioning ceremony for a new destroyer, Kim suggested North Korea should build two warships comparable in size to its 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class vessel each year over the next five years, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim was celebrating the deployment of the new multipurpose destroyer at the port of Nampho. In April, he observed launches of two cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the vessel.
The destroyer successfully completed military operational tests over the past 14 months, according to KCNA.
KIM JONG UN OVERSEES CRUISE MISSILE LAUNCHES FROM PRIZED NEW NORTH KOREAN WARSHIP
North Korea launched two cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon, April 12, according to North Korean state media. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)
Kim previously hailed the development of the Choe Hyon as a major step toward expanding the operational reach and preemptive strike capabilities of North Korea’s military.
Kim also said the navy’s nuclearization is “advancing along its own course,” contributing to the country’s nuclear deterrence.
The naval buildup comes as Kim seeks to strengthen what analysts have long viewed as one of the weaker branches of North Korea’s military.
NORTH KOREA RELAUNCHES WARSHIP THAT SUFFERED EMBARRASSING FAILURE DURING INITIAL LAUNCH
The new multipurpose destroyer Choe Hyon during its commissioning ceremony at Nampho port, North Korea, Tuesday. (KCNA via REUTERS)
KCNA reported that Kim intends to deploy another 5,000-ton destroyer, the Kang Kon, along with larger 10,000-ton strategic warships.
The Kang Kon was first unveiled in May of last year but was damaged during a failed launch at the northern port city of Chongjin. The vessel was later relaunched following repairs.
By adding new capabilities, North Korea’s navy would become “something incredible beyond imagination,” Kim said.
NORTH KOREA RELEASES IMAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINE
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the commissioning ceremony of the new multipurpose destroyer Choe Hyon at Nampho port, North Korea, Tuesday. (KCNA via Reuters)
“Building a modernized naval base has emerged as a desperate and essential task,” he added.
State media reported that Kim is also reviewing plans to construct new naval bases.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes strategic cruise and anti-warship missiles test-fired from the destroyer Choe Hyon, April 12. (Korean Central News Agency/Reuters)
Speaking during a meeting of the Workers’ Party’s Central Committee on Monday, Kim said the navy would undergo changes to its status, role and scope of operations.
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He did not elaborate on what those changes would entail.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond and Reuters contributed to this report.
Global Sumud Flotilla group says six others remain in detention and are expected to be released within 24 hours.
Published On 24 Jun 2026
Four pro-Palestinian campaigners detained in Libya for about a month have been released, the Global Sumud Flotilla group has said.
In a statement on Wednesday, the organisation said Achraf Khoja from Tunisia, Matias Rodriguez from Uruguay, and Domenico Centrone and Leonarda Alberizia, both from Italy, had all arrived in Tunis. Six others are expected to be released in the next 24 hours, it added.
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In an earlier statement, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani welcomed the news of the released Italians, saying the two, along with Rodriguez, who has Italian citizenship, were handed over to Italy’s consul in Benghazi. They will return to Italy on Wednesday, he said on X.
More than 400 activists were arrested last month in international waters on board dozens of vessels while sailing towards Gaza to break a siege imposed on the enclave by Israel.
The activists held in Libya were part of a separate group which tried to reach the strip by land. They had staged a hunger strike in protest at their detention, the Global Sumud Flotilla said.
According to Amnesty International, on May 24, 2026, an armed group affiliated with Khalifa Haftar’s self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), which is allied to the de facto authorities in eastern and southern Libya, the Libyan National Army, arrested the 10 humanitarian activists from eight different countries as they were en route to the city of Sirte to negotiate the convoy’s passage with local authorities.
The activists were seeking approval from the authorities for the convoy to continue the journey through Libya and Egypt to reach Gaza.
“Following periods of enforced disappearance ranging from two to nine days, prosecutors interrogated them before ordering their pretrial detention pending investigations into charges of ‘assembly without authorization,’” Amnesty said.
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