Hi! I’m Antoine, the new campaigns intern at Food & Water Europe in Brussels. I started one month ago and the few things I have done so far, working on issues like factory farms and energy, have been very promising. But, first, let me introduce myself.
I was born 25 years ago in Normandy (France) and grew up in the city of Rouen. Not long after I started my studies at University, I became an activist at the local level and soon at the national and European level in a green youth organization. This is how I got interested in European politics, and I decided I would like to work for NGOs taking on social and environmental issues. From studying Humanities and Theater Studies, I switched to studying Political Science and European Politics in Paris and Strasbourg.
Before coming to Food & Water Europe, I had a very interesting graduation internship at the European Coordination Via Campesina, the farmers’ organization advocating for food sovereignty and defending small-scale farmers’ rights and interests in Europe. There, I was working on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, on seeds and GMOs, and on food in international trade.
During my six-month internship at Food & Water Europe, I will keep on working on one essential issue regarding agriculture, which is countering the development of factory farms in Europe. Their impact on climate, on water, on communities and on consumers’ health is terrible. After the launch of a Spanish campaign against factory farming two weeks ago in Loporzano, we will keep on working with local campaigners fighting on the ground all around Europe and provide them assistance and tools to fight factory farms.
I will also be working on the Food & Water Europe campaign against gas, at a time public authorities invest more and more public funds into gas infrastructure instead of reducing our energy needs and developing renewable energy. The work of Food & Water Watch, Food & Water Europe and our allies has proven the terrible consequences they can have and that it’s more important than ever to fight them. As the European Union is currently discussing financing new energy infrastructures in Europe, we will make sure that as few gas projects as possible are financed with public money.