Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions -  Towards a coherent strategy for a European Agricultural Research Agenda {SEC(2008)3041}
Date: 2008-12-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, EU research policy, agronomic research, biotechnology, rural development, sustainable development

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 15.12.2008 
COM(2008)862 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Towards a coherent strategy for a European Agricultural Research Agenda  

{SEC(2008)3041} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Towards a coherent strategy for a European Agricultural Research Agenda  

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

1.3. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

2.3. 

2.4. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

3.5. 

3.6. 

A new context for agricultural research in Europe ................................................ 4 

The legal basis for EU action....................................................................................... 4 

New challenges for European agriculture ................................................................... 4 

Need for action at EU level towards a renewed Agricultural Research Agenda......... 5 

The steering role of the SCAR Committee .............................................................. 6 

A renewed mandate ...................................................................................................... 6 

Towards common research agendas............................................................................ 7 

A foresight process....................................................................................................... 8 

Mapping EU capacities................................................................................................ 9 

Key actions towards a coherent European Agricultural Research Agenda ....... 10 

Towards a more sustainable agriculture in the global context.................................. 10 

New priority areas for the future Agricultural Research Agenda.............................. 10 

Strengthening the production and sharing of agricultural knowledge in Europe ..... 11 

Consolidating joint research programming for better governance of the European 
agro-food system ........................................................................................................ 12 

Developing a mechanism for foresight monitoring.................................................... 13 

Europe's responsibilities in a globalised world ......................................................... 13 

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1. 

A NEW CONTEXT FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN EUROPE 

1.1. 

The legal basis for EU action  

Regulation (EEC) No. 1728/74 of the Council of 27 June 1974 stipulates in Article 11 that "at 
regular  intervals  the  Commission  shall  present  to  the  European  Parliament  and  to  the 
Council  a  report  on  the  coordination  of  agricultural  research".  The  aim  of  this  report  is  to 
provide an overall picture of developments in agricultural research within the Community and 
to identify strategic actions "which would be desirable in agricultural research in the Member 
States and in the coordination of that research at Community level, with reference to the aims 
of the Common Agricultural Policy". 

Article 7 of the abovementioned Regulation establishes a Standing Committee on Agricultural 
Research (SCAR), consisting of representatives of Member States (MS), who have a mandate 
to advise the Commission and the MS on the coordination of agricultural research in Europe. 

The  content  of  this  Communication  and  the  accompanying  Commission  Staff  Working 
Document  is  based  on  the  outcome  of  the  various  initiatives  undertaken  by  the  SCAR 
Committee over the past four years to identify trends and needs in this sector. It is also based 
on the results of a European Commission-funded “EU-AGRI-MAPPING” project, which has 
analysed the status of agricultural and food research in Europe1.  

1.2. 

New challenges for European agriculture 

The  farming  demographic  in  the  EU  is  changing,  the  number  of  farmers  decreases  while 
available land remains constant. The age of the farming labour force increases, and there is a 
lack  of  diversity  away  from  production,  yet  the  socio-economic  and  environmental 
importance of agriculture remains. The combined agri-food sector is still a key employer and 
generator of wealth (900 billion € turnover,  20 million employees) and agriculture is still the 
key land use mechanism and plays the central role in the social fabric of rural areas. 

The implications of modern farming practices, particularly in EU 12 countries, could result in 
increased unemployment as farms go from small to large scale, and research should not ignore 
the resulting socio-economic challenges. 

The process of reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) continues to drive change 
in farming. Since the first major reform in 1992, EU agriculture has been forced to meet the 
challenge  of  increasing  competitiveness  against  the  backdrop  of  the  potential  negative 
environmental impacts of modern production methods. Agriculture has also had to respond to 
the  increase  in  consumer  concerns  about  and  awareness  of  food  safety,  quality  and 
affordability and, more recently, to the growing demand for a healthier diet. 

While  availability  of  food  supply  at  reasonable  prices  to  the  consumer  is  still  crucial,  the 
Agenda  2000  reforms  introduced  the  link  with  sustainable  development.  The  2003  reform 
package broke the link between public support and production and the introduction of cross-
compliance  with  EU  legislation  regarding  farm  production  methods.  The  result  of  this  has 
been to bring market orientation into line with environmental and other production standards, 
as key determinants for the sustainable future of the EU farm sector. 

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www.agrifoodresearch.net/library  

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Moreover, the Second Pillar of the CAP has shifted the EU policy framework towards rural 
development. This has enabled it to provide more opportunities to target support to specific 
priorities  of  societal  importance,  such  as  the  protection  of  the  environment  and  the 
enhancement  of  quality  of  life  in  rural  areas  as  well  as  a  range  of  non-commodity  outputs 
produced  by  agriculture  such  as  access,  recreation,  conservation,  amenity,  heritage  and 
tourism.  

Throughout  this  reform  process,  external  global  drivers  have  also  changed  EU  food  and 
farming.  We  have  seen  the  demand  for  food  increasing  due  to  a  rising  world  population, 
increased  efforts  to  reduce  malnutrition,  and  a  rise  in  livestock  consumption  linked  to  the 
growing wealth of third countries and increased international trade. The EU is now the largest 
global  agricultural  importer  and  exporter,  and  is  by  far  the  largest  market  for  developing 
countries. 

In  addition,  EU  agriculture  is  facing  a  wide  range  of  new  future  challenges,  which  include: 
tightening  of  energy  supplies,  climate  change,  unsustainable 
further  globalisation, 
consumption of natural resources, and the recent rise in food prices2.  

1.3. 

Need for action at EU level towards a renewed Agricultural Research Agenda 

In order to cope with these challenges, it is widely acknowledged3 that there is a need for a 
strong  agricultural  research  area  within  Europe.  Agricultural  research  should  provide  the 
knowledge that is necessary for a thorough understanding of rural development, of the drivers 
and impediments for sustainability, and provide the new technologies and innovation needed 
for the development of the agricultural sector.  

Scientific  support  to  policy,  using  results  and  expertise  originating  from  the  research 
community, is playing an increasing role in the identification of the economic, environmental 
and  social  consequences  of  any  possible  policy  intervention.  This  is  in  line  with  the 
Commission's commitment to delivering "Better Regulation" and, in particular, to providing 
high-quality impact assessments. 

However,  in  response  to  these  societal  demands,  and  even  though  European  agricultural 
research encompasses a broad spectrum of disciplines and stakeholders, research efforts often 
remain  fragmented  and  poorly  coordinated;  there  is  underinvestment  and  a  lack  of  critical 
mass. In many situations, no single Member State has the full resources or capacity to carry 
out the necessary research and policy developments alone. 

In  Europe,  several  mechanisms  are  in  place,  particularly  under  the  EU’s  Framework 
Programme,  which  help 
to  foster  pan-European  collaboration  between  researchers. 
Accordingly, increasing cooperation between national research programmes, especially at the 
level of national funding, is an intrinsic priority in the creation of a European Research Area 

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"Strengthening agricultural research and related knowledge generation" is one of the actions considered 
by the Commission COM(2008) 321 final "Tackling the challenge of rising food prices - Directions for 
EU action" 
Ref. SCAR Foresight; World Development Report 2008; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 
(IPCC reports); Millennium Ecosystem System Assessment 

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(ERA).  In  this  respect,  the  ERA-NET  scheme4  provides  funding  for  the  networking  of 
national programmes, ministries or funding agencies across all scientific sectors.  

Although  several  ERA-NETs  of  relevance  to  the  area  of  agricultural  research  have  been 
launched,  the  EU  Council  agreed  (in  November  2004)  that  collaboration  in  this  area  would 
benefit from a more structured approach, and that SCAR should investigate the issue further.  

In this respect, the recently devised concept of Joint Programming5 goes a  step further than 
the ERA-NET scheme and elicits the direct cooperation of Member State public programmes 
in defining common visions, strategic research agendas, and the pooling of resources to tackle 
specific areas together. Some major societal problems in Europe that are linked, for example, 
to climate change, the energy crisis or food supplies would benefit in particular from a critical 
mass of public research efforts, as identified in the conclusions of the informal Competiveness 
Council meeting on 17-18 July 2008 in Versailles.  

The SCAR Committee was mentioned as a good example of a possible network structure in 
any new Joint Programming process. 

2. 

THE STEERING ROLE OF THE SCAR COMMITTEE 

2.1. 

A renewed mandate 

Following several dormant years, the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) 
was given in 2005 a renewed mandate by the Council of the EU to play a major role in the 
coordination of agricultural research efforts in Europe. The “new” SCAR is made up of the 27 
EU Member States, with representatives from Candidate Countries and Associated Countries 
as observers.  

It works to a wider and more up-to-date definition of the term ‘agricultural research’, looking 
beyond  the  narrow  confines  of  research  relating  to  production  and  embracing  the  so-called 
‘fork-to-farm’  concept,  emphasising  research  for  sustainable  agriculture,  and  including  non-
food uses, biodiversity, forestry and rural development. Adopting a holistic approach, SCAR 
will address major issues within the concept of a European Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy 
(KBBE)6.  These  would  include  animal  health  and  welfare,  zoonoses,  consumer  and  health 
issues  relating  to  the  quality,  safety7  and  security  of  food  production  and  supply;  issues  of 
consumer confidence and consumer behaviour towards food, nutrition, retailing and markets, 
as these impact on agro-food research, and issues related to developments in non-traditional 
and non-food areas of agriculture activity.  

Moreover,  the  informal  Agriculture  Council  of  Ministers  (Krems,  28-30  May  2006)8 
recommended  that  "in  the  framework  of  the  Lisbon  Strategy,  the  SCAR  Committee  should 
invite EU MS to include questions of advisory services, education, training and innovation in 

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Article 169 of the EC Treaty enables the Community to participate in research programmes undertaken 
jointly by several MS and is intended for topics of high political visibility and relevance 
"Towards Joint Programming in Research" COM(2008) 468 final, 15.07.2008 
Fishery  research  is  not  included  here  because  this  sector  has  its  own  established  coordination 
mechanisms at European and international scale  
Taking  fully  into  account  the  mandate  of  other  bodies  such  as  the  European  Food  Standards  Agency 
and its own committees 
Presidency Conclusions, 16 June 2006 

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their discussions", in line with the requirement to ensure that the effective use of the research 
results are consistent with the needs of a changing CAP. 

In that context, the SCAR Committee has taken coordination actions forward on a number of 
fronts  to  provide  vital  inputs  into  all  research  areas  of  the  KBBE  and  to  build  a  European 
Research Area for agriculture. 

SCAR initiatives towards a 
European Research Area for Agriculture

1. FORESIGHT 
PROCESS

2. COMMON 
RESEARCH AGENDAS

3. MAPPING 
EU CAPACITIES

Mapping 
Activities

Mapping 
Infrastructures

Identify Scenarios 
Foresight Conference 
26-27 June 2007

Regular Survey & 
Alert Mechanism

Agreement on priority 
research topics

Collaborative 
Working Groups

Joint Programming

Report on gaps, 
trends & needs

EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA FOR AGRICULTURE
EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA FOR AGRICULTURE

Input to FP7 Theme 2 
“Food, Agriculture, 
Biotechnology”

ERA-Net
proposals

Identify priority 
research needs

Proposals of new, sharing 
existing, infrastructures

SCAR
SCAR
Working
Working
Group
Group

(cid:98)
(cid:98)(cid:98)
(cid:98)(cid:98)(cid:98)
(cid:98)(cid:98)
(cid:98)
(cid:98)(cid:98)(cid:98)
(cid:98)
(cid:98)(cid:98)
(cid:98)(cid:98)(cid:98)

EC report to EP and Council
end 2008

4. Communication 
SCAR WEBSITE

2.2. 

Towards common research agendas 

Building on a survey of agricultural research coordination at European level carried out under 
the  Netherlands'  Presidency  in  20049,  SCAR  adopted  a  structured  approach  to  the 
prioritisation  of  research  topics  for  further  collaboration,  through  the  establishment  of  a 
number of Member/Associated State Collaborative Working Groups (CWGs).  

The establishment of CWGs is a more flexible and less formal alternative mechanism to the 
ERA-NET  scheme,  but  shares  the  same  objective:  to  stimulate  and  ultimately  increase 
research  collaboration  between  funders  and  programme  managers  on  key-research  areas. 
Since 2005, fourteen CWGs have been set up by European countries engaging voluntarily and 
on a variable-geometry basis in the definition, development and implementation of common 
research agendas based on a common vision of how to address major challenges in the field of 
agricultural research. 

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"Towards  cooperation  between  research  funders  and  programme  managers  in  the  domain  of 
Agriculture, Food, Rural Development and Fisheries in the European Union" - Report written for The 
Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality 

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CWGs  work  in  a  similar  way  to  ERA-NETs,  in  that  they  follow  the  same  step-by-step 
approach  –  focussing  on  information  exchange  during  the  early  stages,  identifying  gaps  in 
research and priority areas for collaboration and, where applicable, launching joint activities 
and/or common research calls. 

It was the dynamism and commitment of several CWGs that paved the way for participation 
in the FP7 ERA-NET scheme, with five CWGs declaring their intention to submit proposals 
in the first calls for proposals (as illustrated in the table below).  

CWG Title 

Coordinator 

SCAR 
countries 

ICT and Robotics in Agro-Food Industries => ERA-NET PROPOSAL "ICT-AGRI" 

Denmark  

Renewable Raw Materials and their Applications in Non-Food Industry 

Sustainable Livestock Production from Grasslands 

Germany  

Ireland 

Relevant Issues for Mediterranean Agriculture => BECAME AN ERA-NET "ARIMNet" 

Italy/France 

Agriculture and Sustainable Development => ERA-NET PROPOSAL "RURAGRI" 

France 

Animal Health => BECAME AN ERA-NET "EMIDA" 

Animal Welfare started as a CWG 

UK 

Advanced Technologies for Climatic Control of Greenhouses and Livestock Housing 

Israel 

Adaptation of Human Nutrition to Environment Evolution 

Ecology for Ecosystems & Natural Resources Sustainable Management 

Development of Sustainable Agriculture in the Baltic Sea Region 

France 

France 

Poland 

Common research agenda for EU rural policy => ERA-NET PROPOSAL "RURAGRI" 

Sweden/Netherlands 

Climate Change and Agriculture  

Agriculture and Energy 

Shared Infrastructures in the field of Agricultural Research  

Spain 

Germany 

France 

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2.3. 

A foresight process 

The  SCAR  has  initiated  a  foresight  exercise  to  formulate  possible  scenarios  for  European 
agriculture  over  the  next  20  years  on  which  to  base  the  prioritisation  of  agriculture-related 
research in Europe in the medium-to-long term. This process was strongly encouraged by the 
informal Council of Agriculture Ministers (Krems, 28-30 May 2006). 

Accordingly,  the  European  Commission  established  a  Foresight  Expert  Group  (FEG)  to 
gather  and  analyse  foresight  information  available  in  national,  regional  and  international 
studies  with  respect  to  eight  major  drivers10,  to  use  this  information  in  formulating  future 

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Climate  change,  environment,  economy  and  trade,  energy,  societal  changes,  science  and  technology, 
rural economy and health 

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scenarios11 and to carry out an initial assessment of the implications for the RTD requirements 
of European agriculture.  

The  reports  from  the  FEG  were  disseminated  among  relevant  stakeholders  and  discussed, 
together  with  other  foresight  exercises,  at  the  Workshop,  "Foresight  to  Set  Long-Term 
European  Agricultural  Research  Priorities",  which  was  held  in  Stockholm  on  29-30  March 
2007 and which brought together high-level experts and stakeholders to reflect on the research 
needs arising from the foresight analysis. 

The views expressed and the conclusions drawn at the workshop were used, together with the 
FEG  reports  and  further  stakeholder  consultation,  as  a  basis  for  a  major  international 
Conference  "Towards  future  challenges  of  Agricultural  research  in  Europe"  (26-27  June 
2007)12. This marked a major success in establishing a platform for the discussion of foresight 
in relation to long-term European agriculture research needs. 

The  conclusions  of  the  Conference  on  possible  actions  towards  a  coherent  European 
Agricultural Research Agenda were taken into account to a large extent in the drafting of the 
present Communication (chapter 3). 

2.4.  Mapping EU capacities 

The SCAR Committee is also involved in the mapping of EU agricultural research capacity 
through  the  European  Commission-funded  “EU-AGRI-MAPPING”  project,  which  has 
analysed the status of agricultural and food research in Europe and identified trends and needs 
in this field. By providing key numbers/statistics on the national organisation of agricultural 
research  and  an  overall  picture  of  developments  in  agricultural  research  within  the  EU,  the 
project has contributed to the assessment of desirable developments in agricultural research in 
the  Member/Associated  States  and  in  the  mechanisms  needed  for  better  coordination  at  EU 
level. 

The  issue  of  research  infrastructures  was  considered  to  be  a  priority  in  the  framework  of 
SCAR’s  strategic  discussions.  In  2005,  SCAR  sent  a  note  to  ESFRI  (European  Strategy 
Forum for Research Infrastructures) on the issue of very large infrastructures of relevance to 
agriculture13. This was an attempt to raise the profile of agriculture research infrastructures in 
the ESFRI discussions, and to provide examples14 of the large research facilities that might be 
needed in this area. 

In  addition  to  the  large-scale  infrastructures  for  research,  SCAR  has  highlighted  the  strong 
demand  for  networking  of  distributed  facilities  and  clusters  of  expertise,  and  for  their 
effective management. In this respect, a new CWG in the area of “shared infrastructures for 
European  agro-food  research”  is  being  set  up  to  identify  future  needs,  and  to  design  new 
governance models for sharing infrastructures efficiently on a European scale. 

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Disruption scenarios: Climate Shock, Energy Crisis, Food Crisis, Co-operation with Nature  
http://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2007/scar/report_en.htm 
SCAR  note  to  ESFRI,  “Research  infrastructures  required  in  the  field  of  agricultural  research”,  31 
August 2005 
Genetic  and  biological  resource  centres  including  collections  for  plant  and  animal  diseases  - 
Agriculture,  Forestry  and  environment  observatories  -  Human  nutrition  research  centres  -  Advanced, 
integrated experimental facilities for infectious diseases 

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Lastly, a dedicated website provides a complete and regularly updated picture of the national 
agricultural research systems in all SCAR countries15. 

3. 

KEY  ACTIONS  TOWARDS  A  COHERENT  EUROPEAN  AGRICULTURAL  RESEARCH 
AGENDA 

3.1. 

Towards a more sustainable agriculture in the global context 

While  the  Commission’s  Communication  did  not  specifically  identify  areas  of  research  for 
Joint Programming, the aspect of food security and production was used as an example at the 
Versailles  informal  meeting.  This  is  because  it  is  becoming  increasingly  evident  that  the 
sustainable management and use of biological resources is a major societal issue and one that 
involves  a  range  of  inter-linked  challenges,  including  climate  change,  environmental 
degradation, consumer demand, and global stability.  

Before long we will be at risk of passing critical thresholds, with far-reaching consequences 
for all ecosystems and hence for agriculture and food security. Accordingly, the International 
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) expects agricultural production in Africa to fall by half in 
2030,  with  serious  consequences  not  just  for  food  security  and  the  vulnerability  of  fragile 
regions, but also for global security. Rising fossil fuel prices in the long term may drive up 
food prices, as all phases of production, processing and distribution are highly oil-dependent. 
Crops  grown  for  fuel  and  other  industrial  commodities,  and  the  corresponding  shifts  in 
production,  could  have  serious  implications.  In  addition,  population  growth  and  changing 
diets  in  the  emerging  economies  will  require  more  food  production,  but  with  the 
corresponding risk of environmental impacts if unsustainable systems are deployed.  

There is thus a corresponding and urgent need to acquire a much better understanding of the 
driving  forces  underlying  these  processes  in  order  to  reduce  adverse  impacts  of  climate 
change  and  safeguard  the  dwindling  resource  base  of  soil,  water,  and  biodiversity.  Such  an 
approach  will 
transfer,  and 
multidisciplinary  skills  from  a  wide-ranging  sector  of  economic,  social  and  ecological 
interest. 

research  capacity, 

the  necessary 

technology 

require 

3.2. 

New priority areas for the future Agricultural Research Agenda  

New emerging challenges require targeted responses from appropriate priority research areas 
for the future Agricultural Research Agenda. 

The foresight process initiated by SCAR and the conclusions from the June 2007 Conference 
highlighted the importance of a number of topics, such as biodiversity, organic farming, food 
safety,  global  food  security,  integration  of  environmental  technologies,  biotechnology, 
emerging  animal  diseases,  as  well  as  emerging  plant  pests  and  diseases.  In  addition,  it  was 
remarked  that  the  interface  between  agriculture,  climate  change  and  energy  constituted  a 
major  societal  challenge  that  deserved  to  occupy  a  more  prominent  place  on  any  future 
research agenda.  

This  trend  was  strongly  endorsed  by  the  European  Council  of  20  June  200816  which  stated 
that  "there  is  a  need  to  pursue  innovation,  research  and  development  of  agricultural 

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http://ec.europa.eu/research/agriculture/scar/index_en.cfm 
Presidency Conclusion n° 28 of the European Council, 20 June 2008  

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production, notably to enhance its energy efficiency, productivity growth and ability to adapt 
to climate change." 

•  Climate change is one of the main threats to sustainable development, and represents one 
of  the  greatest  environmental  challenges,  adversely  affecting  the  global  economy,  health 
and social welfare. Climate change can affect crop yields, livestock management and the 
location of production. It can also have important consequences for farm income, land use 
and  rural  economies  in  certain  parts  of  Europe.  The  risks  of  climate  change  are  being 
actively addressed by the "Health Check" of the CAP, and it has also become an issue for 
European  national  research  programmes,  which  are  looking  into  improved  agricultural 
practices that will help the agricultural sector to adapt and mitigate the impacts of farming 
on the climate. In this context, it has also underlined the complexity and importance which 
continued  research  into  soil  management  practices  can  have  in  maintaining  or  increasing 
soil organic matter levels across the EU. Soil organic matter plays a crucial role not only in 
the  carbon  cycle,  but  also  in  supporting  soil  fertility,  improving  soil  structure,  and 
increasing water retention, thus providing resilience to climatic stresses. The Commission's 
Green  Paper  “Adapting  to  climate  change  in  Europe  –  options  for  EU  action”  indicated 
that  adaptation  policies  are  emerging  in  nearly  all  MS,  and  that  it  is  essential  to  share 
experiences from early adaptation actions and research results .  

•  Energy There is a growing global demand for food and for alternative energy sources from 
biomass  in  a  world  where  water  and  land  resources  are  in  short  supply,  while  increasing 
soil  degradation  and  rising  temperatures  are  impairing  the  productivity  of  the  land.  This 
challenge requires development of agricultural technologies and adjustment of energy and 
agriculture  policies,  underpinned  by  appropriate  research  support  measures  at  the 
agriculture-energy interface. Particular attention should be paid to the effects of biofuel and 
biomass production on water quality, soil organic matter and biodiversity.  

Climate change and energy issues in relation to agriculture were actually identified as priority 
areas by the SCAR foresight activity and recognised as a significant gap in the coordination of 
research  at  European  level.  Two  new  CWGs  on  these  issues  are  currently  being  launched, 
each involving more than 20 European countries. The first will consider how climate change 
affects agriculture, and how agriculture can suitably adapt to and mitigate these effects. The 
second  will  address  the  interface  between  agriculture  and  energy  in  a  broad  holistic  sense, 
ranging from the scientific-technological challenges for biomass and bio-energy production to 
the industrial, ecological, socio-economic and rural dimension impact.  

3.3. 

Strengthening the production and sharing of agricultural knowledge in Europe 

The mounting challenges facing the agri-food and rural sectors in Europe calls for a review of 
the links between knowledge production and its use to foster innovation, as clearly indicated 
by the key messages from the foresight process and the June 2007 Conference. 

Research could play a stronger role if different actors (farmers, researchers, advisory services, 
consumers, private sector, civil society, policy makers) were better integrated in actual agenda 
setting and became part of the research process through actions such as innovation networks. 
At the same time, agricultural research needs to become more innovative, and it needs to find 
ways to attract the "best" science and technology personnel into the sector. 

The workshop "Strengthening the links between knowledge and innovation in Europe" on 6-
7th October 2008 in Angers provided an opportunity to identify the key features of a European 

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agricultural  knowledge  system.  The  workshop  reviewed  how  the  links  between  knowledge 
and  innovation  are  organised  in  Europe,  analysed  the  motives  and  arguments  for  such  an 
organisation,  and  how  shared  experience  from  important  reforms  in  several  European 
countries can lead to potential "best practices".  

The Commission intends to make use of SCAR to identify agricultural knowledge structures 
in each Member State, with a view to eventually creating a corresponding CWG.  

In this context, the European Network for Rural Development, as laid down by Article 67 of 
Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, is a suitable forum to address technology transfer, as 
part of the improved implementation of rural development programmes. The Commission is 
currently  assessing  the  possible  ways  to  feed  “Research  and  innovation”  into  the  agenda  of 
the  network,  notably  in  a  2009  seminar  looking  at  innovation  for  the  new  environmental 
challenges. 

Furthermore, since advisory and extension services are likely to play a significant role in the 
development of any future European agricultural knowledge system, the Commission intends 
to take into account the findings of SCAR in its report on the Farm Advisory System, which 
has to be submitted to Council by 2010.  

3.4. 

Consolidating  joint  research  programming  for  better  governance  of  the 
European agro-food system 

In the light of the ERA-NET scheme, MS have started to rethink previously isolated national 
approaches  towards  new  cross-border  challenges  in  all  research  fields.  In  addition,  the 
Commission's  Communication  "Towards  Joint  Programming  in  Research"  foresees  a  new 
impetus  towards  a  more  strategic  approach  to  coordination  and  collaboration  in  the 
programming of public research within the ERA. 

The Council is currently reflecting on this new approach and will decide on the process for 
identifying the research sectors that are suitable for future Joint Programming Initiatives. In 
this  respect,  the  informal  meeting  of  the  Competiveness  Council,  held  on  17  July  2008  in 
Versailles, cited food and agriculture as one of four main challenges facing society today.  

The SCAR Committee, which has proved to be the de facto reference framework for a more 
coordinated approach to programming of public research in agriculture, was also mentioned 
as having an important role in any new related Joint Programming process. 

The  development  of  effective  and  coordinated  long-term  programming  in  agricultural 
research should be based on a coherent strategy and organisational framework that will allow 
a  regular  consultation  of  all  research  actors  as  part  of  the  wider  Ljubljana  process  for 
governance of the ERA. 

Accordingly, the strategic role of SCAR could be further strengthened so that it can become 
the strategic oversight body supervising the various agriculture-related efforts carried out by 
all European public research bodies. It could also facilitate dialogue with related stakeholders 
in Technology Platforms who are involved in defining common visions and strategic agendas 
in similar research fields.  

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3.5. 

Developing a mechanism for foresight monitoring  

Long-term  research  agendas  based  on  common  visions  and  shared  objectives  must  be 
developed  through  a  strategic  combination  of  analytical  tools  such  as  foresight  studies, 
collective  expertise,  and  mapping  of  research  capacities,  and  should  deliver  evidence-based 
results to guide agricultural research policy. 

The experience gained through the SCAR foresight process has shown the importance of and 
need  for  an  early  warning  system  that  allows  policy  makers  and  researchers  to  clearly 
anticipate the challenges and problems that we may face in the years to come, and to suggest 
ways of tackling them. 

The design of this mechanism is currently being further developed to verify the adequacy and 
validity  of  previous  and  emerging  foresight  studies,  and  will  provide  a  systematic  approach 
for identifying potential threats, opportunities and likely major future developments and their 
implications  for  the  ERA  agenda.  It  will  also  highlight  the  possible  implications  of  such 
developments  for  the  future  orientation  of  research  policy  at  European  and  Member  State 
levels. 

The  mechanism  is  currently  in  an  experimental  set-up  phase,  following  the  formation  of  an 
expert  group  of  consultants  tasked  with  updating  the  first  foresight  study  and  defining 
indicators and criteria that may form the basis for the review, at regular intervals, of the long-
term challenges and objectives. 

3.6. 

Europe's responsibilities in a globalised world  

In  a  world  whose  population  is  forecast  to  reach  around  9  billion  by  2050  and  which  is 
increasingly  economically  integrated  and  affected  by  climate  change  and  environmental 
degradation, agricultural sustainability is becoming an issue that will have both a direct effect 
(e.g. through food prices) and an indirect effect (e.g. through migration) in the EU, as well as 
on all regions of the world. Future agricultural sustainability in Europe and in the Developing 
& Emerging Economy Countries (DEEC) largely depends upon the stability of key resources 
such as farmland, water and functioning ecosystems. European research has the capacities and 
the obligation to contribute to advancing the understanding of the complex interplay of factors 
at stake.  

Moreover,  another  major  driver  of  the  increasing  degree  of  convergence  of  agricultural 
research  in  both  DEEC  and  European  Countries  is  the  growing  importance  of  research 
domains  where  there  is  no  longer  any  scientifically  valid  distinction  between  North  and 
South.  It  is  on  this  basis  that  a  better  integrated  European  agricultural  research  policy 
involving international cooperation needs to be built and to be promoted by the Commission.  

Therefore,  in  line  with  the  new  Commission  Communication  on  the  Strategic  European 
Framework  for  International  S&T17,  policy  synergies  in  the  area  of  agricultural  research 
within  and  outside  Europe  must  be  strengthened.  In  particular,  there  is  a  need  to  enhance 
synergies  between  EU  and  Member  States'  research  policies,  on  the  one  hand,  and  external 
policies such as development aid and neighbourhood policies on the other. In addition, Europe 
should  take  a  leading  role  in  helping  to  define  a  global  agricultural  R&D  agenda,  in 
collaboration  with  international  organisations  (UN  agencies,  World  Bank,  OECD,  G8)  and 

17 

COM(2008) 588 final, 24.09.2008  

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multilateral organisations (African Union, ASEAN, Mercosur), together with bodies involved 
in global agricultural research, such as GFAR18 and CGIAR19.  

In  this  context,  the  international  mandate  and  leading  role  of  SCAR  could  be  further 
strengthened  with  contributions  from  the  European  Initiative  on  Agricultural  Research  for 
Development20  (EIARD),  which  should  reinforce  its  coordinating  role  of  Commission  and 
MS supports to agricultural research targeting the needs of DEEC, and from ongoing ERA-
NETs such as ERA-ARD.  

18 
19 
20 

Global Forum on Agricultural Research 
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research 
COM(97)126 “The European Initiative for Agricultural Research for Development (EIARD)” 

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