Minister of Agriculture: the EU supports the producers of five EU countries with 100 million euros

(Photo: drnagyistvan.hu)

István Nagy said in his statement at the meeting of the ministers responsible for agriculture of the EU member states: obtaining the support was a big struggle, as the affected member states had to act in a national capacity so that Brussels could perceive the significance of the risks of grain in Ukraine. “The five EU member states, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, acted in unison, so we were able to force the Brussels bureaucracy to back down. They were willing to deal meaningfully with the need to find a common European solution for the protection of farmers and for the protection of internal markets” – said the Minister of Agriculture. He highlighted: as a result of the negotiations with the commission, Hungarian farmers will receive 15.93 million euros to reduce their storage costs and the damages they suffered due to their unsold stocks.

At the same time, István Nagy added that the amount in itself is not very large, in fact it is a “symbolic gesture”, but “an achievement that must be evaluated in the future”.

“Monday’s decision is a clear confirmation that it was worth it for the five bordering member states to stand up for their interests. After all, even if only symbolically, the committee acknowledged that the farmers of the bordering member states have a heavy additional burden that must be alleviated,” he said. The Minister of Agriculture also said that the council meeting will continue on Tuesday, where the issue of agricultural trade with Ukraine will again be on the agenda. Therefore, before the meeting, the five Ministers of Agriculture meet in person so that they can continue to come up with a joint action plan and protect the producers of their countries. “The cooperation and firm determination of the five member countries is unbreakable for the time being, they cannot drive a wedge between us,” said István Nagy. He added: they are fighting with all their might to obtain guarantees by means of legislation that will protect their internal market and the traditional agriculture of virtually all of Europe.

MTI