• Final event
  • Erasmus+ ACE-EX
  • Brussels, 22 June 2026

Circular Jobs and Skills for the Future of Agriculture

How training, policy and innovation can create the next generation of circular agriculture professionals.
The closing event of three years of work by ACE-EX, an Erasmus+ alliance of 19 partners across 9 countries building Europe’s expert in agricultural circular economy.
Date
22 June 2026
Time
10.30 — 16.30 CET
Venue
Lombardy Region Office, Brussels
Format
Hybrid, in English
Register to attend
see the agenda
Why this event, why attend

A European conversation on the future of skills in agriculture

The shift towards more sustainable, resilient and competitive agri-food systems will not be decided by innovation and policy alone. It will be decided by skills: which professional profiles the sector needs, how they are trained, how they are recognised. Circularity is reshaping the trades of agriculture. The sector needs new practical knowledge, fresh training tools, and stronger links between vocational education, employers, public authorities and local stakeholders. The ACE-EX project was set up as a concrete contribution to that objective, and the final event places its outcomes within the wider European conversation, bringing together EU institutions, sector stakeholders, social partners and regional actors.

Three things you will take away

  1. A clear view of how circularity is reshaping jobs, skills and professional profiles across European agri-food.
  2. Direct voices from the European Commission, the European Parliament, industry federations, social partners, research, and regional authorities, around the same table.
  3. A live demonstration of how immersive learning can unlock green and circular skills, beyond conventional training methods.
Consistent with the agri-food Pact for Skills, the Union of Skills, the Vision for Agriculture and Food and the circular economy policy cycle unfolding in 2026.
A couple watching fields from a hill

"Circularity is changing European agriculture. It will also change the jobs, the skills, the training paths. The question is not whether it will happen, but how ready we will be."

Strategic rationale, ACE-EX

Day programme

Agenda

A day in three movements: presentation of the ACE-EX outcomes, two policy roundtables, and a live demonstration of immersive training technologies.

In the room and online: representatives from European institutions, industry federations, social partners, regional authorities, researchers, trainers, and agri-food professionals.

  1. Registration and welcome coffee

  2. Welcome and institutional opening

    • Lombardy Region

  3. ACE-EX results: from project outputs to a skills model for circular agriculture

    • Carmen Fusilli, Project Manager, ITS Academy Giulio Natta

  4. Keynote: circularity, social sustainability and generational renewal in the future of EU agriculture

    • Antonella Rossetti, Member, Cabinet of Commissioner Christophe Hansen TBC

  5. Policy roundtable: what skills and jobs are needed for Europe's circular agri-food transition?

    • Ricard Ramon i Sumoy, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG AGRI
    • Ricard Celorio, Innovation & Partnerships Manager, FoodDrinkEurope
    • Ivan Ivanov, Political Secretary for the Agriculture Sector, EFFAT
    • Regional representative TBC

    Moderator: Erina Guraziu, President and Project Manager, OpenCom

  6. Networking lunch

  7. MEP keynote: the European Parliament perspective

    • Dario Nardella, MEP, AGRI Committee

  8. Roundtable: long-term economic sustainability and competitiveness of the EU agri-food sector

    • Paolo Di Stefano, Executive Director, Eat Europe
    • Théo Paquet, Senior Policy Officer for Agriculture, European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
    • Trevor Donnellan, Research Officer, Teagasc

    Moderator: Jesús Díez, Director of Programmes, Fundación Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León

  9. Coffee break

  10. Closing remarks

    • Folco Ciulli, Executive Director, European Chemicals Regions Network

  11. Innovation showcase: immersive learning for green and circular skills

    • Oliver D'Adda, CEO, Softcare Studios
Voices of the day

Speakers and moderators

European institutions, social partners, vocational education, the agri-food sector and regional authorities in conversation.
60

Carmen Fusilli

Project Manager
ITS Academy Giulio Natta

European Commission

TBC

Ricard Ramon i Sumoy

Head of Unit, DG AGRI
European Commission

Ricard Celorio

Innovation & Partnerships Manager
FoodDrinkEurope

Ivan Ivanov

Political Secretary for the Agriculture Sector
European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT)

Giuseppe Costa

Head of the Brussels Delegation to the European Union
Lombardia Region, Italy

Erina Guraziu

President and Project Manager
OpenCom
Moderator

Dario Nardella

MEP, AGRI Committee
European Parliament

Paolo Di Stefano

Executive Director
Eat Europe

Théo Paquet

Senior Policy Officer for Agriculture
European Environmental Bureau (EEB)

Trevor Donnellan

Research Officer
Teagasc

Jesús Díez

Director of Programmes
Fundación Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León
Moderator

Folco Ciulli

Executive Director
European Chemicals Regions Network

Oliver D'Adda

CEO
Softcare Studios
Where

Event venue

Lombardy Region Brussels Office

Place du Champ de Mars 2 B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

Public transport
Porte de Namur metro (lines 2 and 6), 3 minutes on foot. Bruxelles-Luxembourg railway station, 10 minutes on foot
Area
European Quarter, close to the European Parliament
Event time
22 June 2026, 10.30 — 16.30 CET
The project and the consortium

ACE-EX, Europe’s first qualification profile for the circular economy expert in agriculture

ACE-EX, Agriculture Circular Economy Expert, is an Erasmus+ KA2 Alliance for Innovation. It has developed a structured curriculum of over 1,100 hours to qualify the expert in applying circular economy processes in agriculture, with a particular focus on the wine, olive oil and cereal sectors. A qualification at EQF level 4 and 5, recognisable across Europe, accompanied by a MOOC platform with micro-credentials in 8 languages.
Partners
0
EU and non-EU countries
0
of structured training
999 h
Qualification levels
EQF 0 -5

The 19 partners

ITS Academy Giulio Natta Coordinator
University of Thessaly
OpenCom
Cámara Valencia
AINIA
EUROMASC
NTI-MMM
Beauty & Business (Alfaparf Group)
WIAB
European Chemicals Regions Network
Softcare Studios
Brno Chemical School
Fundación Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León
Fagskolen Innlandet
Waste Management and Recycling Cluster
IES Federico García Lorca
National Qualifications Agency
Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics
Epimelitirio Fthiotidas
Confagricoltura
Registration

Register to attend

Fill in the registration form managed by the event secretariat.

Open the registration form

The form opens in a new tab. The Brussels secretariat will receive your request directly.

Co-funded by the European Union
ACE-EX

Agriculture Circular Economy – Expert
Project nr. 101110547

Funded by the European Union.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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