A group of 35 practitioners, policy makers, researchers and civil society representatives shared experiences and ideas for a better European food system at a meeting that took place in Brussels on 11 April 2019 (see the announcement). The event was co-hosted by the ICLEI European Secretariat and the Flemish Land Agency on behalf of the ROBUST project using the well-established Breakfast at Sustainability’s format. The purpose of the event was to convene a variety of sustainable food system experts and Brussels-region stakeholders to inform the European agenda.  

After a warm welcome from ICLEI, co-host Paul Van Der Sluys gave a short introduction to the Flemish Land Agency and its approach to supporting rural-urban sustainable food systems. The program was kicked off with keynote talks by Alexia Rouby (DG-AGRI) and Peter Schmidt (European Economic and Social Committee), who presented the current food system in Europe and highlighted some inspirational examples of new ways to approach the challenges and opportunities through policies and practice.

In the second half of the program, Prof. Han Wiskerke (ROBUST Project Coordinator) led a panel of topic experts from Italy, Denmark, Germany, and Belgium in a discussion on how to strengthen rural-urban linkages to improve city-region synergies and sustainability, support rural economies, and promote a circular food economy.

Read the Summary Report to learn more about what was said, view the presentations, and download the graphic recording of the event here.