10th NAT commission meeting and conference and field visit on "Protecting Origin, Creating Value: Geographical Indications and Wine as Drivers of Territorial Development"
The meeting of the NAT Commission will take place on Thursday 1 October and Friday 2 October, in in Toledo, Spain, at the invitation of Mr Emiliano García-Page Sánchez (ES/PES), President of the Government of the Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain.
On day one – 1 October - Conference on "Protecting Origin, Creating Value: Geographical Indications and Wine as Drivers of Territorial Development" will explore how European intellectual property rights protect our products and guarantee quality meeting the strictest regional standards. The event will be followed by a tour of the Cooperativa Virgen de las Viñas and a field visit to the windmills of Campo de Criptana, the most iconic landmarks of La Mancha.
The following day, Friday 2 October 2026, the NAT Commission will hold its meeting from 10:00 to 13:30 CET in Toledo, Spain.
These meetings will be in person.
Highlights of the meeting on 2 October
The following opinion will be discussed and adopted:
Discussion and adoption:
- The future of the rice sector in Europe: a common strategy
Rapporteur: Alberto CIRIO (IT/EPP)
The European rice sector is facing mounting agronomic, economic and trade pressures that threaten its viability and strategic role in the EU food system. The sector has a strong territorial concentration and is extremely relevant for local and regional economies, rural employment, environmental management and cultural heritage. From a broad EU perspective, the multidimensional impacts of a potential decline in EU rice production, go beyond the risks for value chains and territorial cohesion and encompass food security, EU food sovereignty, biodiversity, water management, etc. The opinion aims to assess how EU policies—particularly the CAP, trade policy and environmental frameworks—can better support the sector, while identifying the role of local and regional authorities in ensuring resilience, sustainability and competitiveness of rice-producing regions.
Debate and intervention by
Mr Miguel Minguet, Representative of Asociación Agraria Jóvenes Agricultores (ASAJA) and the Spanish rice producers’ associations
- Integrated wildfire risk management
Rapporteur: Dimitrios KAFANTARIS (GR/EPP)
The frequency, size and intensity of wildfires are increasing. The increase in wildfire risk in the EU can be attributed to three main factors: climate change, land-use and land-management change, and human behaviour, responsible for the overwhelming majority (estimated even up to 96%) of wildfire ignitions in the EU by far exceeding natural causes.
Wildfires are not only an environmental or emergency-response issue, but they also represent a systemic risk affecting public health, food security, rural livelihoods, infrastructure, biodiversity, climate objectives and economic competitiveness. Annual economic damage in the EU is estimated at around EUR 2.5 billion, while the human and ecological costs are considerably higher and often unquantified.
Given Europe’s diverse landscapes, forest structures and climate conditions, wildfire risk management needs to be locally adapted and implemented at the most appropriate level. The opinion will discuss the existential role of LRAs in the wildfire risk management efforts and the opportunities and challenges it poses.
Intervention by:
José ALMODÓVAR ARÁEZ, Deputy Regional Minister for the Environment, Castilla-La Mancha
Debate on the "Right to Stay: Europe for the rural areas "
How can Europe ensure that people can continue to build their lives in the places they call their home? The "Right to Stay" initiative aims to tackle demographic decline and regional inequalities by improving opportunities, services and quality of life in rural and isolated areas. This debate will explore the link to the key NAT priorities, from rural development and generational renewal to healthcare access, fisheries and territorial cohesion.
Discussion with:
Emiliano GARCÍA-PAGE SÁNCHEZ, president of Castilla-La Mancha and CoR rapporteur on "Generational Renewal"
Kata TÜTTŐ, President of the CoR
Radim SRŠEŇ (CZ/EPP), CoR rapporteur on the "Future of rural development"
Representative of the Irish Presidency (TBC)