Petre Daea: Romania does not endorse capping direct payments to farmers

Romania does not endorse capping direct payments towards farmers, and the Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) must benefit from a budget that should be at least at the same level as the current one, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) Petre Daea stated during the meetings he had with the relevant Ministers from Germany and Austria. 

According to a press release of the Ministry of Agriculture, in view of a streamlined transition between Presidencies, Minister Daea traveled to Austria, where he had a dialogue with his Austrian counterpart in order to discuss the specific issues of the taking over of negotiations on files from the area of expertise. 

The possibility for Romanian experts to take part, alongside Austrian experts to the Working Groups of the Council of the European Union in order to gain experience and to be able to easily manage files was also discussed during the visit. 

On the other hand, during the meeting in Germany, scheduled with the Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, Julia Klöckner, the Romanian official stated the fact that he does not endorse capping of direct payments towards farmers, an essential theme for PAC. 

"We have a shared interest - to connect on powerful objectives. We are glad that we share the same point of view with Germany, because Romania also does not support capping payments to farmers, a theme which is essential for PAC and Romanian agriculture as well. Also, we are honored by Germany's invitation to organize together the Forum for food and agriculture, next year, in the context in which Romania will hold in 2019 the Presidency of the Council of the EU," Romanian Agriculture minister shows. 

In his turn, the German Minister declared that a collaboration is necessary in order to reach a unitary concept for the next agricultural policy. 

"It is important to know the situation of our neighboring countries' agricultural situation. We wish to identify common points in our positions and to collaborate to a unitary concept for the next agricultural policy. Good relations and dialogue with European partners are mandatory. They represent the premise to strengthening unity in Europe - which is why I will continue to intensify collaboration based on trust with Romania," the German minister said. 

Klöckner also explained that European farmers need to look past a series of challenges, and that is why, a common agricultural policy, modernized and void of bureaucracy will have to create viable conditions for them in the future. 

During the visit in Berlin, there were several other subjects concerning the priorities of Romania's Presidency to the EU Council, namely the identification of common points of interest which Germany could support, as well as the organisation of joint actions during the period of the International Green Week Exhibition 2019 (18-27 January 2019), in view of raising Romania's visibility on an international level. 

Petre Dadea, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, participate, during June 27 - June 29 in two foreign working meetings: the first meeting was in Austria, with Elisabeth Kostinger, Federal Minister for Sustainability and Tourism, in the presence of Romania's Ambassador to Austria Bogdan Mazuru. The second meeting took place in Germany, with Julia Klockner, Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, alongside Emil Hurezeanu, extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Romania in Germany.