Premium
Handling negotiations on the legislative package on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the context of the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 is the main priority of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the field of agriculture, Romanian AgriMin Petre Daea told the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) on Wednesday.
"We intend to continue talks on the CAP process of modernization and simplification, bearing in mind that throughout the reform exercise we must ensure full observance of the provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Having in view the major role of the Common Agricultural Policy in increasing the cohesion and competitiveness of the EU Single Market, modernization and simplification can contribute to increasing the efficiency of this policy, to guaranteeing a fair standard of living for the rural and agricultural population, to ensuring food security, reasonable food prices for all, but also to increasing the productivity and competitiveness of European agriculture We must of course consider the particular nature of agricultural activities, which results from the social structure of agriculture but also from the structural and natural discrepancies among the various regions and EU member states," Daea said.
He emphasized that the Romanian Presidency will pursue to advance talks and facilitate consensus on the key elements of the architecture of the future CAP in order to obtain a partial general approach to the legislative proposals in the CAP reform package.
"Generational renewal" should be the central goal of any strategy for the future of the European agri-food sector, Daea told the AGRI Committee, and to this end, EU financial resources must be used as effectively as possible so as to genuinely encourage the transition between generations and prevent the abandonment of rural areas by the youth and the aging of farmers, which poses at risk the perpetuation of this activity that is essential for humanity, he argued.
Petre Daea also said that support should be provided to small farmers who keep rural areas and especially mountain areas alive, because they can contribute better to the convergence of the European rural environment, "revitalizing it and making it more prosperous".
Bio-economy, research and innovation in agriculture will be among the subjects of debate in the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2019.
As regards the unfair commercial practices directive, Daea reminded that the political agreement was reached in the December 2018 three-way dialogue following multiple negotiations in the Parliament, the Council and the Commission; he emphasized that the Romanian Presidency is committed to taking the necessary measures to prepare the final adoption of the directive before the end of the mandate of the current European Parliament.
AgriMin Daea also reiterated what he told on Tuesday the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), that the Romanian Presidency will continue discussions on major, highly contagious diseases with transboundary character, such as the African swine fever.
The Minister of Agriculture mentioned that forestry is another highly important activity for Romania, and the main theme in this field will be "Adjusting the forestry sector to society-induced climate change and stopping land degradation".
"The Romanian Presidency will work to advance negotiations on this file so as to promote a common standard for the sustainable forest management at European level. The current international context requires joint action by the European Union and its member states and defining a position for the 14th session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF14) in May 2019 is paramount," Petre Daea said at the end of his presentation before the AGRI Committee.
