What we do
The Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) coordinates the CoR legislative work on a wide range of topics related to agricultural policy, food policy, rural development, civil protection, public health, forestry, tourism, consumer protection, maritime policy – blue economy and fisheries, bioeconomy, and soils.
Future of agriculture and food
The NAT commission focuses on several key areas that are related to the future of agriculture and food. The Vision for Agriculture and Food by the European Commission will serve as political guidance for the legislative proposals on the Common Agricultural Policy post-2027. The NAT commission will push for its recommendations to be taken into account in the future legislative proposals, emphasising the regional dimension of the policy.
The NAT commission is dedicated to finding ways to enhance the resilience of local and regional food systems, while simultaneously promoting sustainability within the agri-food supply chain. It advocates for the use of tools such as food public procurement, shorter supply chains, and the EU school scheme to bolster regional economies.
Resilience
Resilience means ability to anticipate, prepare for and withstand shocks, while learning from them for the future. Be it the COVID-19 pandemic, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East or extreme weather events, our cities and regions have experienced first-hand how fragile their stability and wellbeing can be. It has become clear that the ability to prepare for, cope with and recover from crises is the most important challenge for European rural areas, cities and regions.
The NAT commission will focus its political attention on the issue of resilience and preparedness of rural areas, cities and regions. Across all NAT policy areas, the question of vulnerabilities – and ways to overcome them – will be explored to deliver on the overarching objective: making our territories stronger and better set to withstand and overcome crises.
Vulnerability Dashboard
The vulnerability dashboard is an interactive tool requested by the CoR and developed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The vulnerability indicator instrument is composed of five dimensions (social, economic, political, environmental and physical) and its aim is to help understand, measure and monitor how vulnerable Europe is to disasters. The tool monitors levels down to NUTS3 and measures the risks over time. It can help policymakers take decisions for action to improve disaster resilience of their communities.
The story map “Success Stories of Investing in Disaster Resilience” presents five inspiring best practices that highlight how local and regional authorities across Europe are effectively investing in disaster resilience.
EU Organic Awards
The NAT commission is also involved in organisation of the EU organic awards together with the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe. These awards are an opportunity to acknowledge the work of different actors in the organic chain contributing to the reduction of our agriculture’s impact on the climate and environment.
