The Organizational Committee of the International Conference "Circle the Med Forum" which will take place on 9 and 10 November 2020, as a digital event, organized along with the Circular Economy and Climate Change Institute of the EPLO the third online debate on "Resilient food supply chains lessons learned" which forms part of a series of monthly virtual debates on different pillars of the Circular Economy.
The third online debate took place on Tuesday, 21 July, 2020 at 16:00 (Athens time) and 15:00 (Brussels time).
The outbreak of the coronavirus brings about unprecedented challenges for the EU agri-food sector. The sector responds and adapts to the new circumstances, including logistical disruptions and rapidly evolving demand, with efficiency, supported by measures taken by the European Commission.
With no concerns of food shortage, the EU agri-food sector has so far responded remarkably well to challenges of historical magnitude. Thanks to sustained food demand, EU agriculture has suffered relatively less damage compared to other parts of the economy which are being more affected by lockdown measures. There have been, however, specific impacts and certain agricultural sectors have been hit more severely than others. Beyond labour issues and logistical bottlenecks, the EU food supply chain has to continue adapting to rapid changes in demand, with strong uncertainties on the duration of the crisis and the recovery path in the EU and globally.
In this third debate they participated:
Mr. Konstantinos Skrekas, Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, responsible for the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP)
Mr. Ioannis Kaltsas, Head of Division for the European Investment Bank lending operations in Greece and Cyprus
Mr. Mr. Sergio Ponsá, Director of BETA Technological Center and Coordinator of BETA Research Group.
Mr. George Kremlis, President of the Organizing Committee of the "Circle the Med Forum" and the International Circular Economy and Climate Change Institute of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) is the moderator of the online debate.
The event was hosted at a remote platform and was broadcast via the website of the Circle the Med Forum https://circlethemed.com/and different social media channels of different stakeholders. A recording of the session will be also available for later reviewing. All invitees had the possibility to interact during the debate, to participate in live polls and ask questions to the speakers.