Macra plays its part in CEJA anniversary
CEJA is the voice of Europe’s next generation of farmers to the European institutions. Its main objective is to promote a younger and innovative agricultural sector across Europe and to create good working and living conditions for young people setting up in farming, and those who are already young farmers.
CEJA achieves this by acting as a forum for communication and dialogue between young farmers and European decision makers. The organisation was founded in Rome in 1958. Since then it has coordinated hundreds of seminars, visits, conferences, written reports and directed the concerns of young farmers towards the European institutions.
Over the years many of CEJA’s alumni, former young farm leaders, delegates and staff have gone on to a range of roles at European level such as becoming Members of the European Parliament, European Commission officials and successful agri-business people.
Mairead McGuinness MEP, joined Macra members and young farmer representatives from across Europe at the European parliament for the celebratory cocktail reception to mark 55 years of the organisation. The MEP, who is a member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, was keynote speaker.
She highlighted the importance of organisations like Macra and CEJA, in giving a voice to young farmers and representing their interests at home and at EU level.
The event, which was hosted by chairperson of the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development, MEP Paolo De Castro, also saw the launch of CEJA’s new logo.
The logo was unveiled by CEJA president Matteo Bartolini and his team of vice-presidents, and coincided with the European Council’s adoption of the CAP reform package, which marked the end of a lengthy process of negotiations for CEJA as well as the EU institutions.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Bartolini said: “We have decided to refresh CEJA’s image in order to look to the future by creating a new, younger visual identity to coincide with a new, younger CAP.”
Welcoming the reform package, Mr Bartolini said: “This is an important signal for the future of European agriculture and an accomplishment by EU decision-makers.”
* www.ceja.eu
