Source: European Parliament
Nutrition was identified by Member States as a key aspect of the Council Conclusions on stepping up Team Europe’s support to global food security and nutrition of 16 December 2024[1].
Three months after their adoption, the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris in March 2025 was the first international event to showcase the EU’s achievements in this field.
In November 2024, the Government of Ukraine hosted the European Regional School Meals Summit, with the support of First Lady Olena Zelenska. Its organiser, the School Meals Coalition hosted events at the N4G Summit to ensure nutritious school meals for every child.
The EU school scheme is part of the common agricultural policy under the provisions of the regulation establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products[2]. As such, it is available only for Member States.
In the enlargement process, the Commission explained the EU-supported school scheme to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine as part of the screening process in the field of agriculture and rural development.
The agriculture ministries of Moldova and Ukraine are starting their preparations to meet the requirements for a future participation in the scheme.
These include a multi-annual strategy, and provisions for the management, monitoring and evaluation of an EU-compliant school scheme.
Both Moldova and Ukraine already have national schemes focused on better nutrition in schools, which are supported by the national budgets and for Ukraine by donors, including the EU and the World Food Programme.