From satellites to policy: how Copernicus can support sustainable agriculture, forests and climate resilience

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Digital & Data Governance

01Dec2026

starts 19:00

ends 21:30

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European agriculture and forestry are increasingly exposed to the combined pressures of climate change, food security, economic competitiveness and territorial cohesion. More frequent extreme weather events, growing pressure on rural economies and the need for credible climate action are reshaping the policy and operational needs of public authorities, land managers and economic actors across Europe.

Reliable, independent and long-term environmental information is essential to respond to these challenges. Copernicus, Europe’s Earth observation programme, provides satellite-based data and services that support a wide range of applications, from crop and forest monitoring to drought assessment, land-use analysis and climate trend observation.

This policymakers’ dinner will bring together representatives from the European institutions, the European Space Agency, Member States and selected stakeholders in an informal, closed-door setting.

The discussion will explore how Copernicus can continue to support evolving user needs in agriculture, forestry and climate resilience, and how upcoming developments in European Earth observation can further strengthen evidence-based policymaking and implementation.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Shutterstock| Andrei Armiagov

Schedule

19.30 21.30

From satellites to policy: how Copernicus can support sustainable agriculture, forests and climate resilience

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Expand From satellites to policy: how Copernicus can support sustainable agriculture, forests and climate resilience

How can Copernicus move from being a source of data to becoming a stronger driver of policy decisions on agriculture, forestry and climate resilience?
What are the risks for Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and policy credibility if Copernicus data continuity is not secured?
How can future Copernicus missions help build trust in climate, land-use and carbon accounting across increasingly fragmented policy agendas?

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Speakers

Dharmendra Kanani is Director of Policy & Programmes and Chief Spokesperson at Friends of Europe. Prior to joining Friends of Europe, Dharmendra was director of policy at the European Foundation Centre (EFC). He was the England director at the Big Lottery Fund, the largest independent funder in the UK and fourth largest in the world. Dharmendra has held senior positions in the public and voluntary sectors and advisor to numerous ministerial policy initiatives across the UK.

Gert-Jan Nabuurs is Professor of European Forest Resources at Wageningen University and Senior Researcher at Wageningen Environmental Research. His work focuses on European forests, forest management under climate change, wood availability and carbon sequestration. He leads the Dutch forest climate pilots, bringing together partners from across the forestry sector, and is involved in EU research on forest restoration and climate change. Nabuurs was a Coordinating Lead Author of the agriculture and forestry chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report. He previously served as Assistant Director of the European Forest Institute and contributed to international guidance on greenhouse gas reporting in the land-use sector.

Elisabeth Werner is Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), overseeing the Common Agricultural Policy and EU policy on sustainable, competitive and resilient agriculture and rural areas. She previously served as Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, coordinating work on competitiveness, clean industry and sustainability. Before that, Werner was Director for Land Transport at the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, overseeing interinstitutional relations, communication and coordination. Earlier, she served as Head of Cabinet to then-Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva, focusing on human resources, budgetary issues and the fight against fraud.

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