Press Release - The European Coordination Vía Campesina along with allied groups and grassroots networks from throughout Europe will be mobilizing this 25 March in Rome– on the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome – for another Europe
Peasant Movement joins demonstrations in Rome on 25 March: For healthy and quality food, decent work, and a just and sustainable agricultural policy in Europe. The European Coordination Vía Campesina along with allied groups and grassroots networks from throughout Europe will be mobilizing this 25 March in Rome– on the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome – for another Europe, for one that cares for its People, and for an agricultural policy that provides quality food, decent income and livelihoods for producers and workers and protects the environment. The objectives promised by the Treaty of Rome and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) have been kicked down the road for the last decades. Despite being mentioned in the 1957 founding agreement, major objectives such as ensuring a just and dignified life for the agricultural population, stabilizing markets, and ensuring Europe’s food supply at prices that are accessible to all consumers, have been largely ignored in the last 60 years of agricultural policies. Instead, we have witnessed the implementation of measures by European institutions that have only benefited a Corporate-controlled trade agenda and provoked calamity on European peasant agriculture, its rural regions and many other occupational and disenfranchised sectors across Europe. In light of this, and making the most of our Pan-European peasant delegation gathered in Rome for ECVC's General Assembly from 22-25 March, we will be joining a major gathering of European social movements for the “Our Europe” General Demonstration at 11am on March 25th . In this occasion, the women and the men of ECVC - whose presence will be notably reinforced by its Italian member and host, ARI (Associazione Rurale Italiana)- along with a vast coalition of civil society organizations, plan to carry out a series of actions to push for an agricultural, food and rural development policy focused on people's needs, and not subjugated to commercial policies and the interests of large corporations.