Agriculture Minister Petros Xenophontos called on the European Commission to table proposals that could support all Member States, speaking during a discussion on the measures taken by Russia’s neighbouring countries in relation to agricultural imports, at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the EU held on Tuesday in Luxembourg. According to a press release, the main topic of discussion was the situation of the European Union’s agricultural market and of trade with Ukraine as a result of Russia’s invasion of the country. The discussion was held on the occasion of unilateral measures taken by Member States neighbouring Ukraine due to the presence on their territory of significant quantities of Ukrainian agricultural products which caused disruption to their local markets. Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, said that the Commission recognised the scale of the impact of the situation in Ukraine, and that it is preparing additional measures to support farmers in the regions concerned. The Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture Mykola Solskyi also took part in the discussion via teleconference. In his intervention, Xenophontos expressed Cyprus’ solidarity with the affected Member States, while stressing that Cyprus is also facing problems due to the very high increase in production costs and the impossibility of marketing certain products. Given the situation in the European market, he urged the Commission to submit proposals to create possibilities for support for all Member States. The Agriculture Ministers also exchanged views on the agricultural and forestry aspects of the regulation on the certification of carbon sinks. Xenophontos said that Cyprus supports the establishment of a voluntary carbon certification scheme at EU level in the framework of the Green Deal, which would be accessible to smallholder farmers, taking into account local specificities. During a discussion on the implementation of National Strategic Plans, Xenophontos briefed his counterparts about the steps taken by Cyprus, and stressed the need to provide maximum flexibility to Member States for the efficient implementation of the Strategic Plans. During a working lunch, the Ministers exchanged views with Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides on the Commission’s initiative for a proposal for a Regulation on new genomic techniques. The Minister of Agriculture said that Cyprus supports the observance of the “precautionary principle” in the context of the application of new genomic techniques, through the creation of a legislative framework that responds to the concerns of Member States, while protecting the environment and also supporting the sustainability of food systems, food security and food safety and the proper use of new technologies. Finally, the Ministers endorsed Council Conclusions on opportunities created in the field of bioeconomy in the light of today’s challenges, with a particular focus on rural areas.
Source: Cyprus News Agency