The common challenges that connect the alliance of the 9 Mediterranean Member States of the European Union (MED9) in the field of agriculture were outlined on Monday by Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Dr. Maria Panayiotou, who chaired the meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture participating in the alliance, that took place in Luxembourg.
The meeting was organised at the initiative of Cyprus, in the context of the Cyprus Presidency of MED9 and was attended by the Ministers of Agriculture of France, Portugal, Greece, Croatia and Malta, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Italy, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture of Spain and representatives of Slovenia, an Agriculture Ministry press release said.
Addressing her counterparts Panayiotou referred to the common challenges and particularities that connect the 9 Member States in the field of agriculture and suggested the further coordination of the members of MED9 to strengthen the promotion of the common positions
related to the further simplification of the fulfillment of the environmental and climate obligations of farmers and to increased flexibility in implementing or adapting CAP Strategic Plans to address the various challenges faced by farmers.
Furthermore, Dr. Panayiotou referred to the joint positions of MED9 in the introduction of provisions for crisis management measures, including the allocation of up to 5% of the financial budget of the Strategic Plan and the strengthening of flexibility in the redistribution of unused resources, the strengthening of farmers’ organisation structures and the position of farmers themselves in the food supply chain, and addressing the specificities of small and geographically remote EU economies.
As regards trade agreements for agricultural products, the Cypriot Minister noted the need for them to be mutually beneficial for all stakeholders, while requesting that a mechanism be developed to enhance the sustainability of our affected farmers, the press release said.
It is a
dded that there was an exchange of views on dealing with the current crisis in the agricultural sector through the immediate modification of the institutional framework of the Common Agricultural Policy, so that its ecological obligations ensure the green transition without jeopardizing the viability of European farmers and by extension food security in the Union.
At the end of the meeting, Dr. Panayiotou invited her counterparts to participate in the Ministerial Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the MED9, which is planned to take place in Cyprus on September 1, 2024, in the context of the meetings organised by Cyprus as the presiding country of the MED9.
Source: Cyprus News Agency