EU Committee

Topic - The Future of CAP Policy

This event is exclusively open to EU Committee members

Mr De Castro will give his vision on the Common Agricultural Policy.

Paolo De Castro was born in 1958 in Vernotico, Italy, and completed a degree in agriculture from the University of Bologna in 1980. From 1985 to 2002, he was associate professor at Washington State University, University of Saffari, and University of Bologna. Since 2002, Paolo De Castro has been professor of agricultural policy at the University of Bologna.

On top of his academic career, Paolo De Castro has been strongly involved in agricultural policy making in Italy and the EU. From 1996 to 1998 he was economic adviser to the Italian Prime minister, Romano Prodi, and to the Minister of Agriculture, Michele Pinto. During 1998-2000 and 2006-2008, he was Minister of agriculture, food, and forestry in the governments of D’Alema and Prodi. Between 2000-2001, Paolo De Castro held the position of Special Adviser to the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi.

In 2002, Paolo De Castro was elected as a Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, where he worked until 2008. From 2008 to 2009, he was vice-chairman of the Committee on agriculture and agri-food production in the Italian Senate.

During the period of 2000-2005, Paolo De Castro was the president of a number of scientific institutions, including the Elabora Research Centre – Italian Confederation of Cooperatives, the NOMISMA Institute of Economic Studies, and the Qualivita Foundation. He has also been the scientific coordinator for the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies.

At the moment, Paolo De Castro is a Member of the European Parliament representing the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. He is the Chair of Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and a member of the Conference of Committee Chairs as well as the Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Paolo De Castro holds the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, conferred by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.