Committee of the Regions on Regional Food and the Future of Rural Europe

Marshal Piotr Całbecki is chairing a two-day external meeting of the Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) of the European Committee of the Regions. The meeting is taking place in Toledo, Spain, and is hosted by the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha.

Commission members visited, among other places, the Virgen de las Viñas cooperative in Tomelloso, where a conference on geographical indications for food products was held. Discussions focused on how protecting the names of regional products can help build their brands, strengthen local supply chains and support the development of rural areas.

– Geographical indications are a way of ensuring that the value generated by a product remains in the region – with farmers, processors and local communities. I am very pleased that we had the opportunity to learn about the operating model of Spanish cooperatives and the involvement of regional authorities in the process of establishing them. We will cooperate with the Castilla-La Mancha region in this area in order to support the economic, social and cultural development of our region – says the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.

Today, the NAT meeting is being held at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Toledo. Commission members are discussing draft opinions on the future of European food products and models for responding to natural disasters. The meeting will conclude with a debate open to students and the public entitled “The Right to Stay: Europe for Rural Areas”, focusing on ways to encourage young people to remain in rural communities.

Marshal Całbecki is the rapporteur for the European Committee of the Regions’ opinion on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy for 2028–2034. The opinion was adopted unanimously in July, and in September the Marshal presented it to the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI).

Regional Office in Brussels

2 October 2026