Access to Land Network Europe🌱 A step forward for land justice in Europe 🌱
Access to Land Network, FIAN Belgium & ECVC joined a EU Commission workshop on a European Land Observatory — a long-awaited step towards fairer land policies.
That the new Agri Commissioner, Christophe Hansen, makes it a priority is significant.
Without targeted land policies, there’s no generational renewal, no food sovereignty, no agroecological transition.
#accesstoland #landjustice #euagri #agroecology #landpolicy… | Access to Land Network
🌱 A Step Forward for Land Justice in Europe! 🌱 The Access to Land Network, together with partners FIAN Belgium Europe and European Coordination Via Campesina, took part in a European Commission workshop on the creation of a European Observatory on Agricultural Land — a crucial development after years of collective advocacy. We are encouraged that the new Agriculture Commissioner, Christophe Hansen, has included this Observatory as a key priority in his mandate. This long-standing demand, also echoed by the European Parliament and many civil society actors, aims to fill the glaring data gap on land markets and land concentration. See our Policy Brief: https://lnkd.in/e-uEC-W8 🟢 The message from the workshop was clear: without targeted land access policies, there will be no generational renewal, no food sovereignty, and no agroecological transition. For the first time, DG AGRI has acknowledged that European agricultural policy cannot be disconnected from the issue of land. The Commission plans to launch a pilot phase of the Observatory by summer 2025, with a €1M budget allocated to assess feasibility. Notably, the event also featured references to global efforts such as the FAO’s Global Land Observatory, as highlighted by Ward Anseeuw — reflecting the need for both national and international action on land data and governance. 📌 We particularly welcome DG FISMAs reminder that regulating access to land does not contradict EU internal market rules. This is a key point that supports the legal basis for national land reforms, like those we are calling for in France and elsewhere. This marks a promising shift. Now the real work begins — designing an Observatory that supports justice, democratic governance, and sustainable access to land for farmers, while contributing to resilient rural areas and ecological transition. 💪 Thank you to all who have carried this vision forward — let’s keep building together. #AccessToLand #LandJustice #EUAgri #Agroecology #LandPolicy #FoodSovereignty #LandObservatory #RightToLand #FAO #ECVC #FIAN #WardAnseeuw