On Thursday 25/4 the 10th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture by GAIA EPICHEREIN
Against the backdrop of farmers’ protests and the forthcoming EU elections, the 10th edition of the Panhellenic Congress for the Development of Greek Agriculture, focusing on “What CAP do we want for Greece and the EU? The big challenges facing agriculture now and in the future”, will be held on Friday, April 26, 2024, at the Kalamata Dance Megaron, and will also be broadcast online.
The 10th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture, which coincides with the completion of 10 years of GAIA EPICHEIREIN’s activity in the primary and wider agri-food sector of the country, will inform the attendees about the latest developments concerning the design and implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Greece and the European Union.
At the same time, approaches and solutions for a more sustainable and resilient agricultural sector in the face of today’s major challenges will be discussed: high production costs, climate change, geopolitical and economic shocks, food security, green and digital transformation, and generational renewal in agriculture. Special emphasis will be placed, inter alia, on sustainability and resilience issues affecting the olive sector.
The Honorary Speaker of the Conference will be the former Prime Minister, MP of Messinia, NEA DIMOKRATIA, Antonis Samaras, while the Minister of Rural Development and Food Lefteris Avgenakis will deliver the keynote speech.
During the Opening Plenary Session of the Conference, the welcome address speeches will be made by the 4th Vice President of the National Assembly & MP of Arta, SYRIZA, Olga Gerovassili, the Member of Parliament & Parliamentary Representative of the C.O. PASOK-KINAL Dimitris Mantzos, the President of NEA ARISTERA, MP of Messinia, Alexis Haritsis, the MEP of ELLINIKI LISI Emmanouil Fragkos, as well as the Governor, Region of Peloponnese Dimitris Ptochos and the Mayor of Kalamata Athanasios Vassilopoulos.
Leading institutional and business representatives of the primary and wider agri-food sector and experts from Greece and the EU will present their views and proposals in 4 thematic workshops.
Among confirmed speakers of the Conference are the Deputy Minister of Rural Development & Food Dionysis Stamenitis, the Secretary-General, Ministry of Rural Development & Food George Stratakos, the Vice president, General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives (COGECA) Leonardo Pofferi, the President of Italia Olivicola & Vice president of Advisory Committee of the IOC Gennaro Sicolo, Executive Director of the International Olive Oil Council (IOC) Jaime Lillo López, Vice President of the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) Matteo Pagliarani, President of FARM EUROPE Yves Madre, Senior Economist of the World Bank John Baffes, Head of Unit, Arable crops and olive oil (AGRI.E.4) DG for Agriculture & Rural Development – European Commission Koen Dillen, etc.
In addition, during the Closing Plenary Session, a dialogue will take place between the Conference participants and MEP candidates who will address the main theme of the Conference. At the same time, on the eve of the Congress, on Thursday, April 25, the results of the new nationwide survey-study by GAIA EPICHEIREIN on “Challenges and Prerequisites for the sustainable transition of key production sectors in Greek agriculture” will be presented.
The 10th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture is organized within the framework of the program CAP4Food, implemented by GAIA EPICHEIREIN during 2023-2024 and supported by the Directorate General for Agriculture of the European Commission, and is held under the auspices of the Municipality of Kalamata and the Messinian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
To find out more about the 10th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture and to register, visit the digital platform of the Congress at the following link: www.eventora.com/en/Events/10th-panellinio-synedrio-gaia/
Programme
| Thursday, 25 April 2024
Congress Eve |
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| 16.00 -16.30 | Registration |
| 16.30 – 19.00 | Presentation of a national survey (Main Stage)
” Challenges and prerequisites for the sustainable transition of the main productive sectors of Greek agriculture ” Welcome address – Efstathios Anastasopoulos, Deputy Governor of the Regional Unity of Messinia – Region of Peloponnese – Spyridon Zacharias, Vice-Regional Head of Agricultural Economy & Veterinary Departments, Region of Peloponnese Presentation of the survey – Elli Tsiforou, CEO, GAIA EPICHEIREIN Panel discussion – Evagelos Xigoros, President, Chamber of Messinia – Christos Barlias, President, Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Korinthos| Vice President, GAIA EPICHEIREIN – Napoleon Maravegias, Professor Emeritus, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens |Former Minister of Rural Development & Food – Christodoulos Antoniadis, President, NEUROPUBLIC Moderator: Giorgos Lykourentzos, journalist, Real Group |
| Parallel Session (Black Box Room)
Promoting sustainable innovative solutions through Operational Groups: best practices in Greec The role of the Ministry of Rural Development & Food and producer representatives – Agricultural Cooperatives – Athanasia Meremeti: Head of Cooperation & Innovation Unit, Special Service for the Implementation of Rural Development Interventions, Ministry of Rural Development & Food – Markos Leggas, Regional Councilor of Corinthia | President, Agricultural Cooperative “Pegasus”
Operational Groups with coordinators/ innovation facilitators GAIA EPICHEIREIN and NEUROPUBLIC – Nikos Papakonstantinou, Director of Rural Development & Project Management, GAIA EPICHEIREIN – Lefteris Petrakis, Project Manager, NEUROPUBLIC Presentation of Operational Groups – Dimitrios Savas, Professor – Dean of the Faculty of Plant Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens – Georgios Fragkiadakis, Associate Professor, Hellenic Mediterranean University – Georgia Ntatsi, Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Vegetable Crops, Agricultural University of Athens – Konstantinos Aliferis, Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Pesticide Science, Agricultural University of Athens – Ekaterini Moschopoulou, Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Dairy Research, Agricultural University of Athens – Stamatis Stamatiadis, Head of Soil Ecology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Goulandris Natural History Museum Moderator: Nikos Lappas, Editorial Advisor, Ypaithros Chora |
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| 20.00 | Congress Gala Dinner*
*Invitation-only event |
| Friday, 26 April 2024
Congress
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| 09.30 – 10.00 | Registrarion |
| 10.00 – 12.15 | Opening Plenary Session (Main stage)
– Professor Christos Avgoulas, President, GAIA EPICHEIREIN | Honorary speaker of the Conference – Antonis Samaras, Member of Parliament of Messinia, Nea Dimokratia | Former Prime Minister | Welcome addresses – Olga Gerovasili, Member of Parliament of Arta, SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left)|4th Vice President of the Hellenic Parliament | Secretary of the Parliamentary Group of SYRIZA – Dimitris Mantzos, Member of State Parliament, Parliamentary Representative of PASOK-KINAL – Alexis Charitsis, President, NEA ARISTERA |Member of Parliament of Messinia – Emmanouil Fragkos, MEP, ELLINIKI LISI – Greek Solution – Dimitris Ptochos, Governor, Region of Peloponnese – Athanasios Vassilopoulos, Mayor of Kalamata – Jaime Lillo López, Executive Director, International Olive Council (IOC)
| Keynote speaker – Lefteris Avgenakis, Minister of Rural Development & Food
| Keynote speeches – Roza Gargalakou, CEO, Neuropublic – Leonardo Pofferi, Vice president, General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives (COGECA) – Giorgos Katsoulis, President, Association of Agricultural Cooperative Organizations & Enterprises of Greece (SASOEE)
Moderator: Giorgos Lykourentzos, journalist, Real Group |
| 12.15 – 12.30 | Coffee Break |
| 12.30 – 14.30 | Parallel thematic workshops
v The future of direct payments: the role of eco-schemes and digital solutions (Main Stage) | Keynote presentation: Dionysis Stamenitis, Deputy Minister, Rural Development & Food – Vasilis Kokkalis, Member of Parliament of Larissa, SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left)|former Vice Minister of Agricultural Development & Food – Yiannis Pazios, Director, Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Messinia |MEP candidate of PASOK-KINAL – Kostas Giannopoulos, Director, Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Thessaloniki – Dimitris Kapnias, Senior Manager, NEUROPUBLIC Moderator: Yannis Sarros, Journalist, STAR Central Greece | Ypaithros Chora
v Policies and best practices for a sustainable and resilient olive oil & table olives sector: innovation, cooperation, market performance (Black Box Room) | Keynote presentation: Jaime Lillo López, Executive Director, International Olive Council (IOC) – Georgios Stratakos, Secretary General, Ministry of Rural Development & Food – Koen Dillen, Head, Arable Crops & Olive Oil Unit, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission – Gennaro Sicolo, President, Italia Olivicola | Vice president of Advisory Committee of the IOC – Nikos Athanasopoulos, President, Agricultural Cooperative “Eleonas” – Certified agricultural products of Gargaliani Messinias – George Kokkinos, President, NILEAS Producers’ Group – George Economou, Executive Director, SEVITEL – George Papadimas, Commercial Director, NEUROPUBLIC – Antonis Paraskevopoulos, Head, Directorate of Agricultural Economy and Veterinary of Trifyllia Moderator: Vasilis Pyrgiotis, Head of GAIA EPICHEIREIN Brussels office | Member of the Advisory Committee of the IOC
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| 14.30 – 15.30 | Lunch break |
| 15.30 – 17.30 | Parallel thematic workshops
v Climate, geopolitical and economic challenges: building a resilient, sustainable and sovereign farming sector (Main Stage) | Keynote presentation: John Baffes, Senior Economist, Outlook Team, World Bank – Professor Christos Avgoulas, President, GAIA EPICHEIPEIN – Yves Madre, President, FARM EUROPE – Spyridon Kintzios, Dean, Agricultural University of Athens – Yannis Mavroudis, Vice President & Executive Advisor, NEUROPUBLIC – Konstantinos Diamontopoulos, CEO, COSMOCERT – George Katsoulis, President, Association of Agricultural Cooperative Organizations & Enterprises of Greece (SASOEE) Moderator: Kalliopi Theodoropoulou, journalist, Ypaithros Chora
v Young farmers, young cooperators: EU and national approaches and best practices for generational renewal (Black Box Room) | Keynote presentation: Matteo Pagliarani, Vice President of the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA – Nikos Pavlonasios, President, Panhellenic Young Farmers’ Association (PENA) – Menelaos Gardikiotis, President, Geotechnical Chamber of Greece – Alkiviadis Alexandrou, General Manager of Agricultural Banking, Piraeus Bank – Efthimios Tsiatouras, Head of Unit for Aid to Agricultural Holdings, Special Service for the Implementation of Rural Development Interventions, Ministry of Rural Development & Food – Thomas Moschos, Moschos Farm | Technical Advisor of the Hellenic Livestock Association (SEK) Moderator: Nikos Gargalakos, Managing Director, Ypaithros Chora
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| 17.30 – 18.00 | Coffee Break |
| 18.00 – 20.00 | Closing Plenary Session (Main Stage)
| Debate with candidate MEPs: What CAP do we want for Greece and the EU? – NEA DIMOKRATIA: Manolis Kefalogiannis, MEP | Former Minister – SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left): Olympia Teligioridou, Head of the Rural Sector, Central Committee of SYRIZA Former Deputy Minister of Rural Development & Food – PASOK-KINAL: Panagiotis Dimopoulos Professor at the University of Patras | Secretary of the Environmental Sector of PASOK-KINAL – ΚΚE (Communist Party of Greece): Konstantinos Mpasdekis Regional Councillor of Central Greece | Agronomist – ELLINIKI LISI – Greek Solution: Emmanouil Fragkos, MEP, European Conservatives and Reformists Group – NEW LEFT: Charalampos Kasimis, Professor Emeritus, Agricultural University of Athens|former Secretary General of Ministry of Rural Development & Food – KOSMOS: Petros Kokkalis, MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance | Secretary General of KOSMOS
Moderators: Themis Kanellopoulos, journalist BEST TV, Giorgos Lykourentzos, journalist, Real Group
| Closing remarks Elli Tsiforou, CEO, GAIA EPICHEIREIN |
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Saturday, 27 April 2024 Informative smart farming field visit in the olive sector *Invitation-only event |
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| 08.15 | Departure from Kalamata
Location: Elysian Hotel |
| 08.30 – 09.30 | Field visit: Implementation of smart farming and olive fly control practices
Location: Olive orchard of Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Messinia ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/UQawua67ekYRSi1X6 ) – Yiannis Pazios, Director, Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Messinia|MEP candidate of PASOK-KINAL – George Papadimas, Commercial Director, NEUROPUBLIC – Kostas Petrovas/Panos Paganis, farmers – Giorgos Zontanos Agronomist |
| 09.45 – 10.45 | Presentations/exchange of views on the digital transition of EU agriculture
Location: Kalamata Olive Oil Taste Laboratory – University of Peloponese (https://kalamatatastelab.uop.gr ) – Vasilis Dimopoulos, Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture, Director – Panel leader – Vassilis Pyrgiotis, Head of GAIA EPICHEIREIN Brussels office|Member of the Advisory Committee of the IOC – Dimitris Kapnias, Senior Manager, NEUROPUBLIC
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| 10.45 – 11.30 | Olive oil/table olives tasting & light lunch |
| 11.30 | Departure to Kalamata/Athens El. Venizelos Airport |
