On 22 June 2026, Brussels hosts the final conference of ACE-EX, the Erasmus+ project that has developed Europe’s first qualification profile for the circular economy expert in agriculture. Held at the Lombardy Region Representation Office (Place du Champ de Mars 2) from 10:30 to 16:30, the event is open to all, in person and online, and brings together representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, social partners, research institutions and regional authorities.
Three years of cooperation between 20 partners across 9 European countries, three agricultural sectors (wine, olive oil and cereals), and a vocational curriculum built from scratch around competences that European agricultural labour markets do not yet formally recognise: this is what ACE-EX will present in Brussels. The choice of the European capital is no accident. The project was created to address a gap acknowledged at EU level, namely that most farm managers in the European Union hold practical experience alone, without structured training in the competences needed to navigate the circular transition.
The conference “Circular Jobs and Skills for the Future of Agriculture” is organised with the contribution of the European Chemical Regions Network (ECRN), the Belgian ACE-EX partner and coordinator of the work package on the project’s impact and sustainability. ECRN is an international non-profit association working with European regions on bioeconomy, energy transition and the circular economy, and its involvement strengthens the link between the project’s results and wider European sector policy.
The day is structured in three stages. After the institutional opening by the Lombardy Region, Carmen Fusilli (ITS Academy Giulio Natta) presents the project’s results: the curriculum, the assessment tools and the training pathway developed through e-learning, serious games and virtual reality. The discussion begins in earnest with a roundtable on the skills and professional profiles needed for the circular transition of the agri-food sector, with representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture, FoodDrinkEurope and EFFAT. In the afternoon, following a keynote by MEP Dario Nardella (European Parliament’s AGRI Committee), a second roundtable broadens the view to the long-term economic sustainability of the sector, with contributions from Eat Europe, the European Environmental Bureau and Teagasc.
The closing remarks are given by Folco Ciulli, Executive Director of the European Chemical Regions Network. The event ends with a live demonstration of the immersive learning technologies developed within the project, presented by Softcare Studios.
The conference concludes ACE-EX’s three-year cycle, but it does not exhaust the work it has set in motion. The partners have already activated the procedures needed to keep the curriculum available through a MOOC platform offering micro-credentials in eight languages. The aim is for the professional profile of the “expert in circular economy applied to agriculture” to become a recognisable reference point in European labour markets and training systems.
Attendance is free, both in person in Brussels and online. The full programme and registration form are available at
ace-ex.eu/final-event
ACE-EX (Agriculture Circular Economy Expert, no. 101110547) is an Erasmus+ KA2 Alliance for Innovation project, co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA, which cannot be held responsible for them.