Brussels, my love? The future of the Green Deal after the elections
In this edition of our weekly talk show, host Stefan Grobe and his guests talk about the future of the Green Deal after the elections, the situation of the electric cars market in Europe and why organic food sales have reached a ceiling.
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00:00 [Music]
00:12 Hello and welcome to Brussels, my love, our weekly talk show from the heart of Europe.
00:18 I'm your host, Stephan Grobe, sitting in for Maeve McMahon. Thank you for tuning in.
00:23 Coming up this week, the last few years have been the hottest on record and Europe is facing more extreme weather events like floods and wildfires.
00:33 The EU Green Deal, a strategy to make Europe climate neutral, is now facing serious headwinds just before the elections.
00:40 Is the survival of the Green Deal as a political concept guaranteed?
00:45 And as European carmakers are struggling with a slowdown in sales of electric vehicles, Chinese models are waiting in the wings to flood the market.
00:55 What to do about it? Pass 100% tariffs like Joe Biden? Was the ban on new patrol and diesel cars as of 2035 premature?
01:05 Questions to our guests today. And here they are.
01:09 Josko Klesović, President of the Assembly of the City of Zagreb, Chloé Donovan, Managing Director of Natural Building Systems and Material Research Limited,
01:19 and Andrzej Sokcak, Secretary General of EuroCities.
01:24 Welcome to all of you and thanks for joining us.
01:27 But before we hear your views on climate policy and sustainability, let's remind everybody what is at stake.
01:35 The European Green Deal, a primer.
01:38 [Music]
01:43 In 2020, the EU adopted the European Green Deal, a set of policy initiatives to make the Union climate neutral by 2050.
01:51 [Music]
01:55 The plan is to review each existing law on its climate merits and to introduce new legislation on the circular economy, building renovation, biodiversity, farming and innovation.
02:04 [Music]
02:07 The last point is important as it encourages the entire economy to become more climate-minded and more competitive on a global scale,
02:14 creating new jobs in new industries that haven't even fully developed yet.
02:18 [Music]
02:20 Just five years ago, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was euphoric and said...
02:25 This is Europe's man on the moon moment.
02:30 [Music]
02:31 Yet given recent doubts in the political orbit, that landing seems now in question.
02:36 [Music]
02:40 Yeah, first of all, has the Green Deal really been the man on the moon moment Ursula von der Leyen was talking about?
02:50 I think it's unprecedented really plan how to advance in the future, how to tackle the challenges of the future.
02:57 And I still believe it is very valuable plan for us.
03:01 It should be updated.
03:02 We learned certain lessons after the four years or five years of its implementation.
03:07 So it should be upgraded in particular from the perspective of the local communities.
03:12 They should be put at the center of the Green Deal because we, local authorities, implement it.
03:17 So unless we implement the Green Deal, it will just remain a document, you know, letters on the paper and nothing more.
03:25 And we see it as very important and we don't see it as a policy which is exclusively related to environment or climate change management.
03:35 But it's a deal which should reconcile, embrace all the relevant policies, including agricultural policy, including financing and economy, social policies, health policy.
03:46 That's very important.
03:48 The other week we had a conference, international conference in Zagreb where we involved citizens of Zagreb.
03:56 It was very, very clear from the citizens' point of view that they want new policies of European Union, new Green Deal to put health at the center and people at the center, their needs.
04:07 So that's the parting point for the next Green Deal.
04:10 People of Zagreb have been mentioned.
04:12 I'm happy about that.
04:14 Andris Subcac, you're from Eurocities.
04:16 Zagreb, a city you're familiar with.
04:19 From your perspective, is that – has that been a man-on-the-moon moment, which is historic?
04:25 Yeah, I think it is an historic achievement of this current mandate because our whole continent has given a strategic target for the future
04:35 and has tried to have a coherent approach to making sure that we are up to the challenges that we meet.
04:42 And we have a lot of Europeans in cities but also on the countryside that, of course, see the consequences of climate change that is happening.
04:52 And so we need to react.
04:54 We cannot just wait.
04:55 And it's important.
04:56 And, of course, implementation is now very important because now we have the roadmap for the future.
05:02 Now it's up to cities and local governments to implement it.
05:06 And I think it's very important to keep the ambition and also not try to discuss too much now to go backwards
05:14 but rather see how we can actually make that nobody is left behind when it comes to implementing the Green Deal.
05:21 I think there is a certain fear that, indeed, it's a huge change for many, many people.
05:27 And at the same time, we are facing the cost of living crisis, many, many difficulties.
05:33 We need to adapt to a new future.
05:35 But if we then consider that for this reason we should go backwards, it will be a disaster.
05:41 And I think there's also a strong support from Europeans.
05:44 Three-quarters of Europeans say currently that it's important that we react to climate change.
05:51 We have two-thirds of our mayors from the 200 member cities of Eurocities that say that climate mitigation
06:00 and climate adaptation remain priorities for the future.
06:04 So we need to continue on this way.
06:08 Yeah.
06:09 Claude Donovan, seen with British eyes, would you rather see Britain part of the New Deal?
06:16 How do you see this whole project, this whole strategy?
06:19 Yeah, I think it's certainly unprecedented in terms of the scale and the scope of the ambition that it has set.
06:25 And obviously getting into the implementation phase, it's understandable that there will be bumps along the road and challenges.
06:30 And I think the challenges we face in the U.K. are parallel to exactly what's happening in Europe.
06:35 But I think from my perspective, the priority that was mentioned in the primer there around having a focus on innovation,
06:43 not just in terms of transitioning our existing technologies and industries, but actually unlocking new economic opportunities and models
06:51 so that this isn't necessarily something that is being kind of legislated from the top down,
06:55 but is also about opening up opportunities for economic equality and people to be able to participate in the change that is inevitably coming.
07:04 It was a challenge. The whole thing was a challenge.
07:07 But the situation is a challenge, right?
07:10 Absolutely.
07:13 Mr. Kulisavic, did the EU and did the national governments do enough to educate the public about the consequences, about the play out of this?
07:24 Or should they have been doing a better job?
07:29 They should have done the better job. I don't think they should really. They did a good job.
07:34 But in order to open the ears of the citizens and spark the interest of the citizens, which is prerequisite that they hear you really,
07:43 they should do something concrete.
07:46 Citizens don't believe anymore. And that was one of the conclusions of our conference in Zagreb.
07:51 They don't understand very complex political processes which lead to Green Deal or targets or political negotiations, all this kind of stuff.
08:01 What they want, concrete projects which impact positively their life.
08:06 So that's how they are starting to believe, how they are starting to listen to you.
08:11 What do you have to say? If I see tangible progress in my city, then I will give support to that Green Deal.
08:17 If I don't see it, this is for bureaucrats of national governments and in the European Union. I don't believe it.
08:23 So we turned everything in Zagreb and we started with a concrete project in order to win the sympathy and the confidence of the citizens.
08:34 And now they are trying, really, they are more and more giving us support.
08:38 But what we need as local authorities is predictable, stable framework which go beyond election cycles.
08:46 So every time we have elections, national or European, we challenge Green Deal or more than quite nice and good policies.
08:54 So all the time we need to go to the bases. It's difficult then to implement this stuff in practice.
09:01 So ambitious and stable framework is a must for us. It must be coherent. As I said, it's a deal.
09:08 It must reconcile different policies. If you have one thing in agricultural policy and the other in health policy, then we will fail.
09:15 Okay. Mr. Sobczak.
09:17 Yes, I think it's very important to talk about the opportunities, not only about the constraints.
09:21 Because we see a lot of our cities that have mayors that take the lead.
09:25 I think about the city of Ghent, for example, that invested a lot in sustainable economy.
09:30 They worked together with the port in the city of Ghent to transform the industry and to make it greener and to align with the Green Deal, of course.
09:38 And this allowed them to attract new businesses. They created new jobs for local people.
09:43 A lot of our cities, of course, are investing in public transport or cycling lanes.
09:48 And this offers new opportunities for people maybe to use a little bit less their cars and to have then other ways of transport.
09:57 Other cities are working on how you can renovate your buildings, whether you are a citizen or whether you are a small and medium-sized companies.
10:04 And they try to find finance model that brings together European funds, local funds, private funds to really see the opportunities to reduce your energy bill and saving the environment.
10:15 Yes, talking about buildings, Chloe, this is your alley here. Tell us about your experience. Are people really buying this?
10:24 I think that we have to be careful when accepting the premise that the potential shift to the right in terms of politics is linked to a rejection of green policies and the green agenda,
10:37 because I think that that is in some ways a kind of political ploy, but also a bit of a fallacy.
10:43 And certainly in the UK, we've seen, for example, the government pumped £51 billion into subsidizing household energy bills last year.
10:51 The majority, almost 80% of which, went to fossil fuel industries.
10:56 But the previous year, they cut a £2 billion Green Home Grant scheme that basically would have helped protect the economy from the spikes in the oil prices.
11:08 And actually, it would have also generated GDP, stimulated growth in the economy.
11:13 And yet it was kind of pigeonholed as a left wing policy that therefore the government justified dropping on the grounds of their rolling back on their climate commitments.
11:26 Because you said something interesting that people need to feel that it impacts their life.
11:33 Now, there has been a lot of criticism ever since the Green Deal was passed.
11:37 And some of the most outspoken critics of the Green Deal are farmers.
11:42 Earlier this year, we all remember the massive protests in several European countries contributed heavily to the loss of support for the Green Deal in the public.
11:52 Why are farmers angry? Here's what they told us.
11:56 The European institutions want to create an ecological role model with agriculture in Europe, and we have to be as pure as the snow.
12:03 So we have areas that we are no longer allowed to farm, buffer zones.
12:07 And on top of that, we will be importing a lot of products that are not subject to the same environmental standards as we are.
12:12 That's the big problem. That's unfair competition.
12:15 In order to receive the cap funds, restrictions are imposed on us. So they say, if you don't do this, you won't get the money.
12:23 In reality, what all European farmers want today is not to need this money in the first place.
12:27 What we want is to be able to make a living from our product.
12:31 Do they have a fair point here? I mean, they have the feeling that they're falling through the cracks, that everything and what you've outlined here sounds good, but then they're the ones to pay the bill.
12:43 Yeah, cities have an important role to play here because a lot of cities would like to offer sustainable food, organic food, local food to their citizens.
12:53 So they do it in the canteens for their schools. They do it for the elderly people, for the people who work for the administration.
12:59 And there, I think it can be a solution to them because what the farmers want is to have a living through their work.
13:06 And if we can establish long-term contracts between cities and the local farmers, and then to help them also to face the transition phase and to reduce less chemicals to produce the food, then it can be a win-win situation.
13:21 So we need to continue to work on public procurement to integrate the ecological and social criteria and to allow cities to buy local food.
13:30 And this could be a solution rather than to say, well, let's continue the current model that is not...
13:35 Loško, have there been problems in Croatia?
13:37 Yeah, always, but there are different reasons.
13:39 Always, OK.
13:40 But yes, I think that farmers made a good point. They say we can't really make our living from the prices on the market, which are quite low, of our products. Fine.
13:49 So what I say and what people of Zagreb said in the conference is we want healthy food.
13:55 We really eat that. It's becoming part of our body.
13:58 But we understand that ecological or organic food is much more costly to produce.
14:04 So what we can do, we can, for example, put certain incentives to farmers.
14:10 So we'll invest more money in agricultural policy than in health policy since we'll have less than sick people.
14:16 They won't have the pesticides effect on their body.
14:19 So, for example, let's involve bonus and malus for those who are producing organic food.
14:26 Let's give them some bonus for those who are still on pesticides.
14:30 In the public, there is this, ever since these protests came up, there is this false narrative, I think, that you pitch against each other sort of environmental projects,
14:41 like protecting areas in the wilderness, etc., etc., and the economic well-being of the farmers and society as a whole.
14:51 And all of a sudden you have these two camps. But that's not really the case, Chloe.
14:56 Yeah, I mean, I think farmers are ultimately on the front line in terms of some of the people that are going to be affected the most and the soonest by the impacts of climate change.
15:05 And I think that as much as we do need to incentivize people away from bad environmental practices,
15:13 I think many farmers see that there is also a significant opportunity there if, you know,
15:20 the sustainability and the health of the food that we eat is not just about whether or not people use fertilizers or nitrogen on their fields.
15:27 There's a whole food system there that crosses into the types of food we eat and the way that we treat people that work within our food system.
15:34 And I think that we basically just need to be taking a much more holistic approach, you know, things like reducing food waste, things like addressing over-processed food.
15:44 There is, of course, just add maybe one thing. The art of politics is to find the proper balance between competing interests.
15:52 That's very good. Now we're in a heavy, busy election campaign. And despite the criticism towards the New Deal, the climate policy is still a huge topic for voters.
16:07 You mentioned that at the beginning. We spoke to Damjan Berselaga from the Volt Party, caucusing with the Greens in the European Parliament.
16:15 We asked him if the Green Deal is politically dead. Take a listen.
16:21 I think the question for the next mandate is rather, will it be reversed to a certain extent?
16:26 And will it be possible to do more to fight the climate crisis?
16:31 If, for example, Marine Le Pen gets elected in France, what will happen then?
16:35 What about the new Geert Wilders government in the Netherlands?
16:38 So I do believe we really need to urgently abolish this rather intransparent structure of the 27th State Government and really go towards a democracy that we also know from the local, regional and national level,
16:50 which is a parliamentary democracy where you vote for European parties. And that's what we are working on with Void as well.
16:56 André, does he have a point here?
16:58 Yes, I think. And this is also the raison d'etre of Eurocities. We want to make sure that local government cities are more involved because cities are closer to citizens.
17:08 So they are the first ones that are able to see what are the challenges, what are the needs of the citizens.
17:14 And currently it is true that when European decision makers are making new decisions, they are not really consulting so much local politicians.
17:25 And we think that, for example, mayors should be around the table when these decisions are made because they can bring in their experience.
17:32 They can say whether certain legislation will be able to implement on the ground or not.
17:38 And I think this is a good point to explain it and also better to the local people because in the beginning we mentioned the fact that probably the Green Deal was not sold well enough to citizens.
17:49 And this was also why I think it's because mayors have not been so much involved in this process.
17:55 And they can play an important role because they meet their citizens on a day-to-day basis.
17:59 So you're suggesting that the danger of Europe lurching to the right in the elections will kind of water down the whole initiative and there is no man of the moon moment.
18:12 The man will be in orbit, yes, but not landing.
18:16 I mean, I personally feel like the man of the moon moment is happening outside of the political sphere in terms of we know that this is something that people in their day-to-day lives think is important.
18:26 And I know from my networks in the climate tech and entrepreneurship space that there is an abundance of people who are passionate, motivated and have really innovative solutions to some of the problems that we're facing.
18:39 And I think the danger and the challenge is that the noises that are coming out of the political space actually have a reverberating effect through people's confidence and investing in these types of startups, technologies and companies that we ultimately need to be supporting.
18:55 So I personally think that if politics can be kind of separated out from the need to drive support and financing into these companies, that's not something that necessarily needs politics.
19:08 Very briefly, is the Green Deal in danger after the elections?
19:11 It's always in danger, but we will defend it.
19:13 What the right-wing parties are offering to us to repair the damage once it's done, we say no.
19:18 Let's prevent the damage.
19:20 Let's manage the process.
19:21 That's what we need.
19:23 We had a big fuss in Europe because of the one million refugees in 2015.
19:28 But the World Bank says 143 million climate refugees are coming.
19:35 And we're not doing absolutely nothing.
19:38 On that note, thank you so much.
19:41 We can close this discussion here, but stay with us on Euronews.
19:45 After the break, we will hear about electric vehicles in Europe.
19:48 Are they on the wrong track?
19:50 Don't go away.
19:52 [Music]
20:00 Welcome back to Brussels, my love.
20:02 I'm Stefan Grobe and our guests are still Josko Klizowicz, Andriy Sobchak, and Chloé Donovan.
20:08 Few things scare car manufacturers and political decision-makers in Europe as much as a wave of cheap Chinese electric cars.
20:16 Brussels has threatened to launch an investigation into illegal public subsidies for the Chinese car industry.
20:22 An announcement is expected soon.
20:25 This is not without risks.
20:27 Meanwhile, European consumers seem unsure whether an electric car is really the future.
20:33 Transport and Environment says one in four EVs sold in Europe this year will be made in China.
20:42 Should that worry us?
20:44 Yes, if these cars were produced with subsidies which are not allowed in our market.
20:50 I mean, we should have a fair global and European market.
20:53 Otherwise, our companies will be in a disadvantaged position, you know, and this is not right.
20:59 I mean, we want a competitive European economy, a sustainable European economy.
21:04 But if you have this kind of attack on it, we should do something about it.
21:08 Yeah, the Americans have done something big time, 100%.
21:13 Europe is still figuring out what to do, kind of sandwiched between the two car powers.
21:20 What is your take, Chloé?
21:22 Yeah, I think that for me the challenge with the EV car industry is not just around obviously increasing the uptake and the use of them
21:31 and the infrastructure that is needed to do that and the economics of how we may or may not subsidize that.
21:37 But I think that when you look on a global scale, it's really important that we're looking at the sustainability,
21:43 the environmental impact of where these cars are coming from in the round.
21:48 And I think that what we don't want to be doing is just incentivizing the offshoring of our environmental impact of these decisions
21:56 by having them produced in other parts of the world where perhaps regulations aren't as stringent
22:01 and there's not the same protections for the quality of the products used.
22:06 I hope that in the future policies like the Eco Design Directive that currently applies mainly to household appliances and things
22:14 will expand into products like EV cars where there is then an imperative to think about their whole life carbon footprint
22:21 and environmental burden. And I think that that to me is more important than necessarily exactly where the cars are coming from.
22:28 Andrew, you want to weigh in?
22:30 Yeah, I think it's really important to make sure that we create local jobs to produce electric vehicles in Europe.
22:38 I mean, we have the traditional car producers that need to change their business model,
22:43 that need to train the workers in order to be able to produce it.
22:47 And this is also a good example of the fact that the Green Deal set a clear target,
22:52 saying that by 2035 there will be no more traditional cars that can be sold on the European market.
22:59 So it should be a huge signal to European car makers to change their business model.
23:05 And then also I think it gives some kind of security for the consumers to say,
23:10 we need to move to these new cars and also to rethink then, do we need the same kind of car?
23:18 Or can we have a smaller car that is maybe then also more affordable?
23:22 Or can I use less my car and can I use also sometimes my bike or public transport and so on?
23:27 So I think it's a huge change and we shouldn't see it as a threat,
23:32 but rather an opportunity to build a strong car industry that is taking into account all the ecological elements,
23:40 as you said, and the whole life cycle.
23:42 How can European EVs be more successful in this competitive environment?
23:46 We wanted to know from Transport and Environment. Here's the answer.
23:51 There is high interest in consumers and people to buy EVs.
23:55 EV sales grew by about a third, which is quite a lot.
23:59 A lot of companies or CEOs would actually give their right arm for such annual figures.
24:04 Clearly we need two things for the EV transition to be successful in Europe.
24:08 One is that we need car makers and European politicians to firmly commit to the 100% clean car target in 2035
24:17 and to accelerate the sales of electric cars in the next years and bring affordable models to the market.
24:23 The second thing that we need is a green industrial deal to complement the green deal.
24:29 And for example, with made in EU policies like carbon footprint rules, which will incentivize sustainable local production.
24:39 One argument against EVs that you hear all the time is the insufficient charging network.
24:46 Right now, 75% or something of all charging stations in the EU are in three countries, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
24:55 What do you do about it? What do you tell people who say that I'm not buying electric vehicles because I cannot charge it?
25:00 And again, local authorities come into the picture.
25:03 These are the authorities who will build that kind of infrastructure.
25:06 For that, we need additional funds and skills, because these are new jobs in our cities.
25:12 Our administration is not very much used to these kinds of jobs.
25:16 So that's the kind of assistance we need from the EU and national governments to build necessary infrastructure.
25:22 So now it's a question of pace.
25:24 And we are watching that from the eyes of consumers, citizens, but equally from the eyes of employees in this automotive industry.
25:33 So we want to find the optimum solution, the pace to reach the goal.
25:39 And we know and we share the goal.
25:41 I was in Germany a month ago in one of the leading factories of all the electric cars.
25:47 All management members were quite aware that they are going to shift the whole production to electric cars.
25:54 Now we need to find the proper way.
25:56 Yeah, they are delaying this.
25:58 More and more carmakers are delaying the rollout of new models, Volkswagen, Ford, Mercedes-Benz.
26:07 Is that an alarm signal?
26:10 Yeah, I think it's a danger, because we have set this important target.
26:14 And we should now not give the feeling that it could be discussed and we can find other solutions.
26:21 We now have to concentrate.
26:22 And again, cities indeed are on the front line.
26:25 I think about the city of Cluj-Napoca in Romania, for example.
26:29 The mayor is doing an excellent job in having these charging stations there.
26:34 And also more and more private companies, of course, invest also in these charging stations as well.
26:38 Because they see, of course, that it's just a question of time.
26:41 That more and more people will only buy electric cars.
26:45 So it's the future.
26:46 Chloe, last word in this round goes to you.
26:48 What is the situation in Britain?
26:50 Are EVs getting more popular?
26:53 I think in the last quarter there has been a slowdown in sales similarly.
26:56 But I think it's in part because of the phasing out of the subsidies that the government has been offering for buying EVs for people.
27:04 And I think that the challenge there is that in the UK in particular we don't have the infrastructure like many places for the charging systems, etc.
27:14 But also our energy infrastructure and our energy system is not being fully decarbonized fast enough.
27:19 So it's all well and good putting in charging infrastructure for EVs.
27:23 But if that power is coming from oil-based power generation, then it kind of undermines the point of it.
27:28 So it needs to -- obviously it needs to happen.
27:30 What a conundrum.
27:32 Well, that comment can close this discussion.
27:35 Thank you to our panel for being with us and thank you for watching.
27:38 See you soon on Euronews.
27:40 Welcome back to Brussels, my love.
27:50 I'm Stefan Grube, still together with Josko Klesović, Andrzej Sobczak and Chloe Donovan.
27:55 More organic food in public food procurement.
27:59 According to a new study, this would bring considerable environmental and economic benefits.
28:04 To this end, legal criteria should be set for an increased local share of organic food in company canteens or schools, for example.
28:13 This against the backdrop of stagnating sales figures.
28:17 The organic market has apparently reached a certain saturation point.
28:21 So questions should be -- should people be forced to buy more organic food?
28:26 I think that the issues of whether or not we should force people to buy more organic food, again, are limiting the scope of the conversation to one very small part of it.
28:37 We know that people want greater transparency and trust in the labeling of their food so that they can make informed decisions as consumers.
28:44 But also we are citizens within our societies, but also particularly within our food systems.
28:50 And I think that we need to make sure that we are looking at these issues in the round and thinking about the health and sustainability of food from many angles, not just seeing organic or bio-labeled products as the singular solution.
29:05 We have asked the organic food lobby what else needs to be done to increase the share of bioproducts on the market.
29:12 And here's what they said.
29:14 The demand for organic product has grown by 10% every year for the last decade.
29:19 So clearly we need to further boost production, but we also need to boost the market for organic food because it's a system of food production that provides many benefits for the environment, for farmers, and for society.
29:33 People need to have proper information about the negative impacts of industrial farming, mostly linked to the use of pesticides as well, and more information about the benefits of organic farming for biodiversity, for water quality, for soil health as well.
29:49 But at the same time, it's unfair that the whole burden of trying to achieve a transition of farming be borne solely by consumers who are willing to pay more to buy organic food.
29:58 By the way, he was sitting in the middle of Brussels here, not in some distant forest.
30:03 To my mind, it's better to convince people than to force people.
30:07 It's more durable, more attainable.
30:10 Maybe cities should follow the example of Zagreb.
30:14 As a matter of policy, all the food in our kindergartens and school are bought in accordance with a green public procurement.
30:23 This is a matter of policy of our city administration.
30:25 So this is the way how you show by example this is good for our kids, and then the parents really perceive that and then start to think.
30:34 My kid will eat organic food in school or kindergarten, and at home it won't eat that kind of food?
30:40 It's bad.
30:41 So this is the way how you really put that on the agenda of the parents.
30:45 So I think it's better to convince than to force.
30:48 Sometimes you don't taste the difference really between a regular apple and an organic apple, except the organic apple is twice as expensive.
30:58 So how do we get the price down?
31:00 Yeah, it's about the price, but it's also about thinking differently.
31:03 Again, the example of Zagreb is very interesting, and we find a lot of cities that actually educate, inform children and the parents as well about maybe buying less industrial food and to prepare it by your own.
31:17 So you can have very easy recipes, and then if you look at the cost, it's actually lower than buying a prepared meal in the supermarket.
31:26 So it's also a new way of thinking things.
31:29 And then also what cities try to do is they help local farmers that want to become organic, and then they make the necessary investments by being committed to buy them for the canteens.
31:41 And then it reduces also the price, of course, because then if the farmers have a long-term commitment to sell a huge part of their food to the cities, then they can sell the rest at a lower price also to the local people.
31:54 So there are new business models that we are seeing as emerging in our cities, and this is something that we need to develop.
32:01 A lot of things to work on, and that's a great conclusion.
32:05 We're running out of time here.
32:07 Thank you so much to our panel, and thank you at home for watching.
32:12 If you would like to reach out to let us know what you think about the upcoming elections or anything else, our email address is brusselsmylove@euronews.com.
32:21 You can also contact us on social media.
32:24 That's it for this edition.
32:25 Take care and see you soon here on Euronews.
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