Educational visit to Brussels within the framework of Agrifood Leadership 2025–2026
Within the framework of the Agrifood Leadership 2025–2026 program, an educational visit to Brussels took place from April 21 to April 23, 2026, with the participation of the program’s fellows. The program is the first specialized Leadership initiative in the agrifood sector implemented by New Agriculture New Generation.
Participants had the opportunity to visit key European decision-making institutions and engage with international best practices in agriculture and food systems.
The Agrifood Leadership 2025–2026 program is implemented by New Agriculture New Generation under the auspices of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food. Rutgers University (USA) serves as the program’s Technical and Strategic Advisor.
The program was established through the founding donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
Visit to the European Parliament
During the visit, participants toured the European Parliament and gained a deeper understanding of the role and function of European institutions.
As part of the visit, they met with Member of the European Parliament Mr. Tsiodras, exchanging views on the challenges and future prospects of the agrifood sector, with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and supporting the next generation of producers.
Visit to the Permanent Representation of Greece to the European Union
Participants also visited the Permanent Representation of Greece to the European Union, where they engaged in discussions with Deputy Permanent Representative Mr. Efthymios Kostopoulos and Ms. Aikaterini Tsakoumi.
The discussion focused on the role of the Representation and the negotiation processes among EU Member States on agricultural policy matters.
Visit to DG AGRI of the European Commission
A key part of the visit was the session at the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) of the European Commission, where participants were introduced to the Common Agricultural Policy and its implementation across EU Member States.
The session covered the progress of the Greek Strategic Plan, recent developments, and ongoing negotiations for the Common Agricultural Policy post-2028, as well as policies supporting rural development.
Visit to BELORTA Cooperative
The educational experience concluded with a visit to the BELORTA cooperative, where participants toured the facilities and observed firsthand the auction system for agricultural products, a model connecting producers and traders in real time.
Program supporters
Supporters of the remaining educational activities of the program include:
Consortium of Producer Groups of Imathia, Agricultural Poultry Cooperative of Ioannina PINDOS, COMPO EXPERT Hellas, Chios Mastiha Growers Association, and Lidl Hellas.
The program is also supported by NBIS.
About New Agriculture New Generation
New Agriculture New Generation is a non-profit organization that supports the sustainable development of rural Greece and accelerates the transformation of the agrifood sector through initiatives of national and local scope, with significant socio-economic impact.
Since 2018, more than 33,000 beneficiaries and professionals have engaged with the organization through programs focused on skills development, knowledge transfer, innovation, and entrepreneurship across Greece.
