The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo attended the Council of European Ministers in Brussels, where important themes related to the agriculture sector were discussed.
Minister Refalo showed appreciation for the work done by the European Commission to adopt a legislative proposal and the efforts being made to simplify the regulations of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) so that they are adapted to new realities. He mentioned the simplification and more efficient implementation of the CAP strategic plan, in particular the amendments regarding small agricultural holdings.
Minister Refalo emphasized that practices should be introduced, on a European level, that ensure peace of mind and transparency both to farmers and villagers, as well as to the consumer who buys from them. He also reiterated that it should be ensured that future legislation does not add extra burdens on farmers.
The Minister added that one must take into account all the risks and challenges that farmers face in the food supply chain and it must be ensured that there is a healthy economic environment for farmers.
The Minister made reference to the fact that European farmers are required to adopt environmental protection measures, controls and conditions compared to imports from third countries. Here he mentioned the need for more flexibility in relation to the regulations on State aid in the agricultural sector, to ensure that a level playing field can be created. In this regard, Minister Refalo welcomed the conclusions of the European Council of last week on this point.
Minister Refalo reiterated that it is also necessary to consider more flexibility for the transfer of funds, which allows Member States to make the best use of the allocation of funds in order to provide a rapid response to any emerging crisis. Therefore he requested that additional flexibility be given to Member States to support farmers in case of extreme weather events as well as for market instability.
“I thank the European Commission for recognizing the needs of European farmers. We believe, however, that this is just the beginning and we should not stop here, but we should continue to facilitate the work of farmers and villagers, so that even more young people will be tempted to enter the sector,” Minister Refalo concluded.
Photo: MAFA
