24 September 2025 — Leuven. At the 2nd BrightSpace Stakeholder Meeting, Peter Witzke (EuroCARE Bonn), leader of Work Package 5 (WP5): “BrightSpace Integrated Modelling Toolbox and Baselines,” shared insights into the critical role WP5 plays in shaping the analytical foundations of the BrightSpace project. The newly published interview highlights why the Toolbox — and the baselines co-created with stakeholders — are essential for delivering robust, policy-relevant analyses of the EU agri-food system.
What WP5 Does: Making the BrightSpace Toolbox Work
In the interview, Witzke explains that WP5 is responsible for operationalising the BrightSpace Toolbox, the ensemble of interconnected models used across the project.
“WP5 is all about making the BrightSpace Toolbox work. We create integrated baselines and scenarios for the EU agri-food system, linking models and data so that all BrightSpace analyses are consistent, robust, and policy-relevant.”
This means ensuring that the different models developed and updated in other work packages can communicate, harmonise inputs, and produce coherent outputs.
Why the Toolbox and Baselines Matter
Witzke underscores that the Toolbox and its baselines form the backbone of the project’s analytical work:
“The Toolbox and baselines are the backbone of BrightSpace. They let us harmonise data, connect different models, and provide a solid foundation for testing policies and scenarios across the project.”
He describes the baselines as the essential starting point for diagnosing problems and evaluating policy “therapy options.” They also serve as the reference point for checking whether proposed interventions improve outcomes.
Engaging Stakeholders: Validating Assumptions and Identifying Uncertainties
At the Leuven retreat, WP5 brought several key issues to stakeholders, particularly alternative baseline assumptions related to climate, trade, and energy developments.
“Stakeholders help validate our assumptions, highlight uncertainties, and make sure our scenarios reflect real-world challenges.”
Witzke notes that some topics — such as bioenergy, Ukraine, or Asian demand — had been deprioritised to focus on trade, climate, and energy markets. The event offered a crucial opportunity to confirm whether this focus resonates with practitioners and experts.
How Stakeholder Input Shapes WP5 and Connects to Other Work Packages
Feedback from the retreat will directly influence the refinement of both medium- and long-run baselines.
“Stakeholder feedback helps us decide which uncertainties belong in sensitivity analyses and which should be incorporated into the baseline itself.”
He highlights the importance of stakeholder scrutiny, especially when model outcomes diverge — for example, when different models show contrasting impacts of trade, price, or climate shocks. These insights ensure stronger alignment between WP5 and the scenario work in WP9 and WP10, as well as indicator assessments across the project.
Next Steps for WP5
After the retreat, WP5 will focus on consolidating stakeholder-validated baselines and preparing them for dissemination through the cloud-based BrightSpace Toolbox.
“We’ll finalise the stakeholder-validated baselines and make them available through our cloud-based Toolbox. These outputs will serve as benchmarks for long-term scenario work and support evidence-based decision-making in EU agriculture.”
This refinement process also leaves WP5 with a clear to-do list for Toolbox improvements before it is released for broader internal and external use.
Why WP5 Matters for the EU Agri-Food Community
Witzke concludes by emphasising the importance of engagement:
“Stakeholders have injected their real-world perspectives, which adds value beyond what the scientific community could do on their own.”
By shaping credible, science-based, and stakeholder-informed baseline futures, WP5 contributes directly to BrightSpace’s wider mission: creating better-informed policies for a sustainable, resilient, and future-proof European agri-food system.
👉 Watch the interview: https://youtu.be/wpt1xGe7T_0
Source: EuroCARE Bonn
