The programme opened with addresses from senior officials, including Mr. Gerard Vives, Director General for EU Affairs, and Mr. Ramon Armengol, Director General for Rural Development. Participants shared regional experiences during youth testimonies and advanced co-creation through structured breakout sessions on key barriers: access to land, installation costs and financing, professional prestige, administrative burdens, and farm profitability. Field visits to innovative enterprises—such as Entre Vinyes organic egg farm, Vila-rodona cooperative winery and Castell d’Or, group of Catalan cooperative wineries, and Llèpol gastronomic space—provided practical insights into viable models for young farmers.
On the final day, regional representatives presented policy initiatives, followed by keynote interventions from Mr. Eduardo Baamonde, President of CajaMar, and Mr. Ricard Ramon, Head of Unit for Policy Perspectives at the European Commission's DG AGRI. The event concluded with the formal endorsement of the Open Letter from the Young Farmers of Europe, a strategic document that diagnoses shared structural challenges across the four regions and advances targeted proposals structured in three blocks:
To Administrations: Simplify bureaucracy through digital one-stop shops and periodic obstacle reports; strengthen financial instruments with long-term public guarantees and elevated EAFRD aid ceilings; guarantee land access via regional land banks and priority frameworks; and integrate generational renewal as a cross-cutting priority in strategic plans.
To the Agricultural Sector: Establish interregional mentoring networks coordinated by cooperatives; enhance value chains through direct sales and public procurement preferences; and position young farmers as leaders in innovation, training, and sustainability.
To the Public: Enhance the social status of farming as a strategic profession; promote conscious local consumption as a political act; and foster urban-rural dialogue through education, media, and farm visits.
Participants call for the institutionalization of the Young Farmers Dialogue as a permanent interregional mechanism within the Four Motors for Europe framework, ensuring sustained cooperation that transcends individual presidencies. This initiative underscores the high priority and urgency of generational renewal on the 4ME agenda, positioning it as a cornerstone for coordinated regional action on European agricultural challenges
