Secretariat

OPERA is a renowned research centre and think tank of the Italian Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. It represents a platform to discuss the various approaches to sustainable, intensive agriculture and to develop voluntary initiatives with third parties, such as farmers and associations.

OPERA provides high quality information and analysis of the latest developments in EU agri-food policy-making to promote a balanced dialogue between the stakeholders.

OPERA is led by Professor Ettore Capri.

Prof. Ettore Capri holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry and Ecology. Since 2002, he has held the role of Professor of Agricultural Chemistry in the Department for Sustainable Food Process (DiSTAS) at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. His expertise lies in risk assessment and management of agrochemicals in the food chain, from farmers to consumers. 

From June 2006 to 2015, he advised the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in the field of the plant protection product and has since taught and conducted research in this area. He is Head of OPERA (the European Observatory on Sustainable Agriculture) Think Tank and Research Centre. 

His work focuses on the development of sustainability programmes at the farm level, citizen science and development and verification of risk mitigation measures. He is the author of more than 300 scientific papers and reports, and has coordinated about 80 public projects.