A look into the AGRI and ENVI Committees
On July 23, the European Parliament's committees elected their chairs and vice-chairs for the next two and a half years. These committees review and discuss EU legislative proposals from the Commission, create reports for all Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to vote on, and negotiate with national leaders of each member state in the European Council. They also produce non-legislative reports, hold hearings with experts, and oversee other EU bodies and institutions.
Below are insights into the recent elections of chairs and vice-chairs for the AGRI and ENVI Committees:
Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI)
Czech MEP Veronika Vrecionová from the European Conservatives and Reformists party (ECR) was elected Chair of the Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development, making her the first woman to hold this position in the Parliament’s history. She was elected with 31 votes in favor, 8 against, and 10 abstentions. Vrecionová expressed her gratitude for the "confidence that colleagues gave to me" and looks forward to "constructive debates." The 58-year-old Civic Democratic Party politician pledged to "work hard for better conditions for family farmers and small and medium farmers." She emphasized the need to "listen to them" and to "massively reduce red tape," while noting that the "whole CAP has to reflect the fact that we have started accession dialogue with Ukraine." Previously, she served as rapporteur on the welfare of cats and dogs and their traceability, and she stated she would "personally focus on animal welfare."
Former ENVI member and AGRI Chairman Norbert Lins (EPP, Germany) was elected as the 2nd Vice-Chair. Lins has often defended the AGRI Committee’s mandate against the ENVI Committee's portfolio and has emphasized promoting rural areas as a key political message. He also supports the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, as well as the Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals. The first and third vice-chairs are Romanian MEP Daniel Buda (EPP) and French Socialist Eric Sargiacoma, respectively. The fourth vice-chair, intended to be a woman, will be elected in September this year.
The AGRI Committee has traditionally been more right-leaning, and with the ECR now in the leading role, this trend is likely to continue. The main challenges in the next two and a half years will include balancing European Green Deal measures and sustainability ambitions with competitiveness and production incentives for food producers. The recent farmer protests in Brussels and across Europe in February underscored the importance of focusing on more farmer-friendly policies. The first meeting of the AGRI Committee is scheduled for September 4.
Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)
Italian Socialist MEP Antonio Decaro has been elected Chairman of the ENVI Committee. After the vote, Decaro stated, "In the wake of what has been done, we will continue to provide answers to the many daily emergencies related to the issues we address in the ENVI Committee, but we must not lose sight of the extraordinary challenges we face." He emphasized that "not only the future of our continent is at stake, but also a new global approach to planetary resources." The former Mayor of Bari (June 2014 - July 2024) stressed that "we will work to fully achieve the Green Deal," acknowledging that "we are facing an ambitious but not impossible challenge." The 54-year-old engineer expressed his commitment to "listening and dialogue" and to "continue the work we have started," while recognizing that the "most ambitious commitment will be to combine environmental challenges with the development of new models of sustainable economic growth through a path for a just transition."
He will be joined in the Committee’s Bureau by Spanish MEP Esther Herranz García (EPP), elected by acclamation. Italian Pietro Fiocchi (ECR) was elected 2nd Vice-Chair by secret ballot, receiving 52 votes in favor, 25 against, and 12 abstentions. Anja Hazekamp (The Left) was elected 3rd Vice-Chair by acclamation. The 4th Vice-Chair seat went to Hungarian MEP András Tivadar Kulja (EPP), who was elected by secret ballot with 64 votes. Meanwhile, the Spanish hard-right candidate Jorge Buxadé Villalba (Patriots for Europe) was effectively blocked, receiving only 24 votes in favor.
It is not expected that the ENVI Committee will undergo drastic shifts to the left or right. The committee is likely to continue aligning with Green Deal and sustainability measures. It remains to be seen how the EU's industrial strategy and new focus on competitiveness in the next legislative period will affect or potentially clash with the committee's reports and votes over the next two and a half years. The first ordinary ENVI meeting, comprising its 90 members, is scheduled for September 4.
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