Mr Marttila said: « Agriculture and food are core responsibilities of the European Union both via the Common Agricultural Policy and also through many regulations that impact upon rural business. Within a complex and fast changing world, it's important to invest not only in short term priorities but also to take the time to reflect on and prepare future strategies proactively, at European level, if we want the European Union to keep its position as a world leader in terms of both competitiveness and sustainability of the farming sector. That is what Farm Europe is about and the MTK is delighted to actively participate in this thinking process. »



Mr Yves Madre, co-Founder of Farm Europe, said : «We welcome the MTK as a new member and important contributor to the think tank. This cooperation will strengthen the understanding and the capacity of the think tank to analyse the challenges faced by EU agri-food systems in the northern part of the European Union.The cooperation with the MTK and its representatives will also allow the think tank to develop stronger relations with research institutes in Finland. »



Farm Europe is committed to developing thinking on efficient ways to activate policy levers at EU level to increase both the competitiveness and the sustainability of the EU farming and food sectors and to step into the debate with concrete proposals. The think tank focuses on all policy areas that impact on rural business with a strong emphasis on agriculture and food policies, particularly the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), but also food standards, the food chain, environment, energy and trade issues.