| Affiliation with other organizations: |
Rural Youth Europe, European Youth Forum, World Farmers Organization |
| Purpose of the organization: |
CEJA - the European Council of Young Farmers - is the voice of Europe’s next generation of farmers to the European institutions.
CEJA’s main objective is to promote a younger and innovative agricultural sector across the EU 27 and to create good working and living conditions for young people setting up in farming and those who are already “Young Farmers”.
CEJA achieves this by acting as a forum for communication and dialogue between young farmers and European decision makers.
CEJA does not represent and does not depend on any political ideology and represents all categories of young farmers and young people interested in a future in farming and rural areas. There is an ageing tendency in the European agricultural sector stronger then in other economic sectors. With 52% of EU heads of farms being over 55 years of age and less than 7% being under 35 years old there is clearly a lack of opportunity for young people to set up in European agriculture.
CEJA believes in a future for European agriculture and calls for the creation of a European policy in favour of young farmers, which should serve to give a clear signal that Europe wants to maintain its agricultural sector. It should be an overall package of measures to be implemented at European level and not limited to a simple financial support. The package should be targeted at facilitating access to land and production rights, linking early retirement schemes to installation aid, strengthening education and training facilities for young people in rural areas; providing information as well as technical support, creating a transfer agency to encourage young people without an agricultural background to choose a future in farming and guidance for young farmers in the process of setting up.
CEJA stays in regular contact with young farmers’ organisations and agricultural institutions and associations throughout Europe and worldwide. CEJA also has strong links with different international youth organisations. At Brussels level, our partners include COPA-COGECA and we maintain good contacts with all relevant stakeholders from the agricultural, environmental, animal welfare and biodiversity sectors. At the international level, the organisatation will work closely with the new World Farmers Organisation, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization and Rural Youth Europe. CEJA also has a partnership office called CERYC, the Central European Rural Youth Centre. |
| Activities relevant to the conference of States Parties to the convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: |
The policy development for cooperatives is essential for our work. For many of our national members cooperatives are very important, since they are part of them in their countries, there for we follow the European policy development on cooperatives on regular basis. Especially close to our work is the cooperatives and employment generation. |
| Confirmation of the activities of the organization at the regional, national or international level: |
Since the foundation of the NGO CEJA has co-ordinated hundreds of seminars, visits, conferences, written reports and directed the concerns of young farmers towards the European institutions. CEJA has an operational Youth in Action grant from the DG Education and Culture and we manage several other projects about the youth employment, climate change and agriculture, biodiversity, education for young farmers ect. |
| A list of members of the governing body of the organization, and their countries of nationality: |
AUSTRIA
LANDJUGEND ÖSTERREICH
AUSTRIA
BAUERNBUND JUGEND
Österreichische Jungbauernschaft – Bauernbund Jugend
BELGIUM
GROENE KRING
BELGIUM
FEDERATION DES JEUNES
CYPRUS
CYPRUS YOUNG FARMERS ORGANISATION COUNCIL (CYFOC)
CZECH REPUBLIC
SMA CR Spolecnost Mladých Agrárníku Ceské republiky (YOUNG AGRARIANS SOCIETY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC)
DENMARK
LANDBOUNGDOM
Danish Young Farmers
FINLAND
CENTRAL UNION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS AND FOREST OWNERS (MTK)
FRANCE
JEUNES AGRICULTEURS
GERMANY
BUND DER DEUTSCHEN LANDJUGEND (BDL)
GREECE
PANHELLENIC FEDERATION OF YOUNG FARMERS' ORGANIZATIONS (GESASE)
HUNGARY
AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL YOUTH ASSOCIATION - AGRYA
Fiatal Gazdák Magyarországi Szövetsége - AGRYA
ITALY
ANGA-GIOVANI DI CONFAGRICOLTURA
ITALY
MOVIMENTO GIOVANILE-CONFEDERAZIONE NAZIONALE COLDIRETTI (CNCD)
ITALY
ASSOCIAZIONE GIOVANI IMPRENDITORI AGRICOLI (AGIA)
IRELAND
MACRA NA FEIRME
Macra na Feirme National Office
LITHUANIA
LITHUANIAN YOUNG FARMERS CIRCLES UNION
LUXEMBOURG
LËTZEBUERGER LANDJUGEND - LËTZEBUERGER JONGBAUEREN A JONGWËNZER (LJB & JW)
LUXEMBOURG
CENTRALE PAYSANNE - Service jeunesse -
MALTA
MALTESE ISLANDS AGRI FEDERATION
(MIAF)
CEJA Contact: George Cini
Director : Daniele FANTECHI
NETHERLANDS
NEDERLANDS AGRARISCH JONGEREN KONTAKT (NAJK)
POLAND
TRADE UNION - NATIONAL CENTRE OF YOUNG FARMERS
Zwiazek Zawodowy Centrum Narodowe Mlodych Rolników (ZZ CNMR)
POLAND
POLISH RURAL YOUTH ORGANISATIONON Zwiazek Mlodziezy Wiejskiej Zarzad Krajowy
PORTUGAL
ASSOCIAÇÃO DOS JOVENS AGRICULTORES DE PORTUGAL (AJAP)
SLOVAKIA
ASSOCIATION OF SLOVAKIAN YOUNG FARMERS (ASYF)
Združenie mladých farmárov Slovenska
SLOVENIA
SLOVENIAN RURAL YOUTH ASSOCIATION (ZSPM)
SPAIN
ASOCIACIÓN AGRARIA JÓVENES AGRICULTORES (ASAJA)
SPAIN
JUVENTUDES AGRARIAS DE COAG
SWEDEN
LANTBRUKARNAS RIKSFÖRBUND (LRF)
FEDERATION OF SWEDISH FARMERS
LRF Ungdomen
UNITED KINGDOM
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF YOUNG FARMERS’ CLUBS |
| Description of the membership of the organization, indicating the total number of members: |
European Young Farmers and Forest owners organization and Rural youth organizations. 29 members and 1 assoiate member (Croatia). |
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