An international study seminar was held in Bari, Italy, from 2-4 October 2025, organised by Feder Agri. (National Federation for the Development of Agriculture) FEDER.AGRI., in cooperation with EZA and funded by the European Union. The theme of the seminar was “Health and Safety of Workers in Agriculture.” Representatives of workers' organisations from Italy, Albania, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Montenegro, Germany, Serbia, Croatia, France and Greece participated in the event.
The following is a brief summary of the contributions of the speakers:
In the first session, National President of the MCL (Movimento Cristiano Lavoratori - Christian Workers’ Movement), Alfonso Luzzi, opened the event, which was to examine the analysis and comparison of workers' safety with the participation of key speakers from various European countries, and stated that it is the responsibility of all to commit to the CAP policy.
Nicola Napoletano, Deputy Secretary-General of Feder. Agri. and a resident of Bari, welcomed all the participants and referred to the great agricultural tradition of Apulia, mentioning the CAP 2028/2034, which will bring many changes.
Donato Pentassuglia, the regional Councillor for Agriculture in Apulia, emphasised the importance of prevention and safety to avoid the still high number of work-related accidents in the agricultural sector, and described the prevention of occupational accidents as a primary objective of social dialogue.
Francesco Paolicelli, President of the Agricultural Commission of the Apulia region, addressed the importance of protecting the territory as a source of economic growth.
Angelo Frascarelli, associate professor at the University of Perugia for the Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, explained the new rules of the CAP and highlighted the importance of bringing young people into agriculture.
Christian Patti, in his role as an official of AGEA (Agenzia per le Erogazioni in Agricoltura), the agency for disbursements in agriculture, reiterated the importance of the European Commission's decision to introduce two investment simplification packages to reduce the administrative burden for farmers and the entire food chain.
In his capacity as Director General of UNICAA (Centro di Assistenza Agricola - Agricultural Assistance Centre), Danilo Pirola addressed income support for farmers and reiterated the importance of activities to support agriculture through cooperation between major associations.
Leonardo De Marco, member of the Feder.Agri. Secretariat, addressed the European Commission's decision to promote the employment of young people in agriculture to bring about change; a generational shift in this sector.
The Vice-President of the MCL, Guglielmo Borri, opened the second session on day two that discussed safety, risks and training in agriculture, and emphasised the importance of social dialogue to prevent accidents in the workplace.
Andrea Rotolo, a member of the Feder.Agri. Secretariat, discussed the importance of agriculture in his region of Apulia, which is characterised by low profitability and a low level of digitalisation.
Panagiotis Gkolfis, President of DAKE (Dimokratiki Anexartiti Kinisi Ergazomenon - Democratic Independent Movement of Workers), reported on Greece's adaptation to technological innovations, but also emphasised the struggle against declining GDP.
In his contribution, Joseph Thouvenel, Vice-President of EZA, set out the difficulties faced by French farmers and the problems they encounter in carrying out their work.
In her capacity as President of AFAMMER (Asociacion de Familias y Mujeres del Medio Rural - Association of Rural Families and Women), Carmen Quintanilla addressed the simplification and implementation of new regulations in Spain, which are intended to improve planning in agricultural policy and better provision for farmers.
Rocco Marinaccio, Secretary of Feder.Agri. for the Basilicata region, talked about the new CAP, which is considered fairer and more environmentally friendly with respect to the rules of the Green Deal.
The morning session on 3 October was opened by the President of the MCL, Alfonso Luzzi, who introduced the speakers who would be presenting their contributions.
Piergiorgio Sciacqua, Co-President of EZA, chaired the meeting, which addressed the challenges in the areas of work, health and safety in the South, in Italy and in Europe which is a social issue, and stressed the importance of bringing the results of these discussions to the regions.
Vito Leccese, Mayor of the city of Bari, greeted the participants and affirmed that, in his role, he intended to pursue an environmentally conscious and sustainable development approach, with indirect effects on the agricultural sector.
Sebastiano Leo, in his capacity as Regional Councillor for Labour, Training, Education, University, and Right to Study of the Apulia region, highlighted the importance of the technological age in which we live and the importance of the funds from the National Reconstruction and Resilience Plan (PNRR - Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza) which enable the use of resources in the South.
Luigi Sbarra, State Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office responsible for the South, emphasised the importance of people for the creation of new opportunities in the South and for a more effective management of public resources.
Luc Van den Brande, President of EZA, conveyed the greetings on behalf of his organisation, thanked them for the invitation to the seminar, and also praised the expertise of the speakers. He pointed out that social dialogue in Europe is crucial if we wish to address the problems common to all.
Luis Pedro Mota Soares, Portugal’s former Minister of Labour, highlighted the strength of the collaboration between technology, science and agriculture, a combination that redefines the way we think about sustainability, productivity and the future of food.
Giuseppe Castiglione, a member of the Agriculture Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, stressed the importance of focusing on farmers and raising awareness of agricultural production, because there are no competitive businesses without farmers who can earn a decent living.
Konstantinos Karagkounis, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in Greece, stated that Greek agriculture in 2025 was facing both challenges and opportunities and is focusing on integrating technologies and sustainability to respond to a changing global market.
Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms, joined the seminar online, and stated that the challenges today are in the areas of ethics, sustainability and skills, and in the integration of AI, which could prove to be a great opportunity to make improvements.