Brussels – Massimiliano Giansanti (president of Confagricoltura) is the new president of COPA, the association that brings together the major professional agricultural organizations, representing over 22 million European farmers. The President’s Committee met today in a plenary session in Brussels. He reportedly had a solid majority of 114 votes.
“The coming years will define the future of European agriculture. Important challenges await us, such as the enlargement of the Union to include new member states and the resulting need for a larger budget for the sector, a thorough CAP reform, and increasingly effective actions to combat climate change. We cannot be caught unprepared. This position invests me with a great responsibility that I will honor with the utmost dedication. I will be the president of all European farmers because I have always maintained that only by acting as a cohesive entity will we be able to compete in global scenarios, restoring to European agriculture the dignity it deserves.” These are the words of Giansanti, thanking the presidents of the organizations that are part of COPA and stressing, “I will involve everyone, especially the vice presidents, at my side, to achieve the goals of the program together.”
“Agricultural Europe must become strong again, able to compete with the United States and China in global markets.” Giansanti continued, stressing three priorities: “In addition to the CAP review, we need to defend farmers’ income and ensure reciprocity in trade with third countries: our competitors must align to EU standards on food safety and working conditions.”
The newly elected president also stressed the need to shift the narrative on agriculture and food production by promoting communication grounded on scientific evidence and fair and transparent consumer information.
“On behalf of Cogeca, our heartfelt congratulations to Massimiliano Giansanti, who was elected to the presidency of Copa with widespread support, demonstrating the extraordinary work he has done as vice-president in Brussels over the years,” said Leonardo Pofferi, vice-president of Cogeca, the association of European agricultural cooperatives affiliated to Copa in Copa-Cogeca, on Giansanti’s election. “After over 30 years, an Italian national returns to assume the leadership of the European farmers association, in a crucial phase for the future of European agriculture and which will have to see Copa-Cogeca as a protagonist in the confrontation with European institutions,” Pofferi, who is the head of Confcooperative in Brussels, added.
Massimiliano Giansanti, a 50-year-old agricultural entrepreneur from Rome, serves as president of Agricola Giansanti Srl and managing director of Gruppo Aziende Agricole Di Muzio, which operates in the provinces of Rome, Viterbo, and Parma. The companies specialize in producing cereals, kiwis, milk, and livestock and are also actively engaged in agribusiness and agroenergy sectors.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
