Open Strategic Autonomy and sustainability of the European f...

In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and extreme weather events caused or exacerbated by climate change have prompted the EU to take steps towards strengthening its resilience in the agri-food sector. From analysing supply chain vulnerabilities to developing capabilities to act more autonomously, the EU has actively revived the discussion on the concept of Open Strategic Autonomy. 

This workshop will focus on Open Strategic Autonomy and sustainability of the European food system. It serves as an opportunity to reflect and discuss the internal and external dimensions of both concepts and how they interlink. We will also look ahead and explore options for the next EU policy cycle on how to move towards a more sustainable and resilient food system.

The government of Flanders, which has food policy under its competencies, considers food system challenges to be one of the priorities to be addressed during the presidency. A collaboration of three departments of the Flemish government will host a three-day conference on the transition towards sustainable food systems. International and national stakeholders including scientists, policy-makers, civil society and industry will have the opportunity to meet and discuss in more than 20 thematic sessions with the aim of creating synergies between science, policy and practice. Panel discussions, lectures, workshops, innovative pitches, site visits and a food market will be offered during these three days. 

The Open Food Conference is happening at the Provincial House, in Leuven, on 11-13 March 2024. You can find more information as well as the agenda of the whole conference here.