FAO Director-General meets the EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries

16 December 2019, Brussels - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met today with Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, on the sidelines of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries (AGRIFISH).

The Director-General applauded the European Union for their participation in the strategic dialogue with FAO and the parties agreed to pursue the dialogue in the context of the EU farm to Fork Strategy (2020) on sustainable food systems and to work hand-in-hand towards the Food Systems Summit (2021). “We need to transform the way we produce and consume our food and design a blue economy”, they said.

The European Union is currently updating its Biodiversity Strategy 2020, which includes factors such as deforestation, land degradation, protected species and habitats, as well as sustainable seas and oceans.

The European Union is working on the EU Forest Strategy, together with FAO, and the Organization offers full support to step up actions towards protecting and restoring the world’s forests.