9 of May - EUROPE DAY is to commemorate the anniversary of the historic the 'Schuman Declaration' that set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe.

This was an ambitious plan, designed 73 years ago, to secure long-term peace in post-war Europe.

Schuman's proposal laid the ground for the European project and is considered the beginning of what is now the European Union.

An afternoon reception on 8 May 2023 hosted by the EU Delegation in Rome showcased a photo exhibition on ‘Food Futures’ - a project by JRC, and a concert directed by Francesco Morettini.

The Farm to Fork strategy is a cornerstone of the European Green Deal. It presents the policy perspective: the case for action; the need to build a new food chain; the imperative for a just and fair transition benefitting all actors within the EU and beyond. Essentially, it puts forward the grand plan for sustainable food systems.
But what about the people perspective? How do our values, our culture and our individual views of the world influence how far policy can drive change in the way we think about food, and how willing we are to really embrace sustainable food systems?

Thanks to our colleagues from JRC, we had a chance to present at our Europe Day reception a photo exhibition showcasing the Food Futures – Sustainable food systems. The project – a beautifully illustrated book that is the unique creation of Sonja Stummerer and Martin Hablesreiter (Honey & Bunny) and JRC’s Art & Science team – tries not only to answer such pivotal questions of scientific nature, but also help us explore what goes into the making of a sustainable sandwich, and how will it taste?!

The intention of the artists and our colleagues, scientists from across the JRC who work in numerous fields linked to the complex world of sustainable food systems, was to present to you a book that inspires for a healthy conversation and debate, to make the implicit explicit, and to explore collectively the emotional challenges that lie on the horizon.