It is important that the post-2027 agricultural policy makes the EU’s agriculture farmer-friendly

(Photo: AM)

István Nagy called the discussion of the conclusions on the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) important ahead of the Council meeting of the Member States’ Agriculture Ministers. According to the text adopted by the Council, the post-2027 CAP should increase agricultural productivity, thereby ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural population, stabilising markets, ensuring the availability of supplies and ensuring reasonable prices for consumers.

The minister said that the central topic of the council meeting will be the discussion of the regulation on fishing quotas

This regulates the total amount of fish that can be caught in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. In his opinion, a heated debate is expected at the meeting, since the quota determined on the basis of scientific results is “extremely moderate”. In its preliminary presentation of the topics of the meeting, the EU Council highlighted that since fishery resources are not unlimited, EU member states have defined common rules for the management of fishery resources through the EU’s common fisheries policy to ensure that their use is sustainable and at the same time healthy food can be offered at reasonable prices. István Nagy announced that the Hungarian EU presidency will report on several progress reports, including the monitoring system for resilient forests, biomass-based development, and the BIOEAST initiative, which focuses on food security, agricultural sustainability and brings together regional research cooperation between the states of Central and Eastern Europe. He said that the Hungarian Council Presidency will also report on the results of the European Beekeeping Conference, which lists new aspects and new opportunities for protecting European beekeepers and providing them with support. According to István Nagy, given that the two-day meeting starting on Monday will be the last meeting of the Agriculture Council during the Hungarian EU Presidency, the ministers will discuss with Commissioners Kósztasz Kadísz responsible for fisheries, Jessika Roswall for environment, and Christophe Hansen for agriculture, as well as with Hungarian Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, who heads the portfolio responsible for health and animal welfare in the new European Commission.

MTI