Romania's AgriMin Chesnoiu to attend AgriFish Council meeting in Brussels

Romania's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Adrian Chesnoiu participates on Monday in a meeting in Brussels of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

According to the agenda of the meeting, the EU agriculture ministers will once again exchange views on the current situation of the agri-food market in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The discussion is likely to focus on identifying measures to guarantee food security in the EU, both in the immediate aftermath of the invasion and from a longer-term perspective. The likely impact of the war on food supplies in non-EU countries may also be considered.

The European Commission will present information to ministers about the approval of the strategic plans foreseen in the new common agricultural policy. It is currently in the process of evaluating these plans and will update ministers on its progress.

Other matters for consideration at the meeting include: production of plant proteins in the EU; CAP strategic plans and sustainable agriculture; revision of geographical indications; G7 agriculture ministers meeting; revision of the pesticide directive; impact on fisheries of energy price rise; use of bio fertilisers; alternatives to phytosanitary products.

A few days ago, Chesnoiu said that he asked the European Commission to reconsider the idea that 4% of the agricultural area of a member state should remain uncultivated. "Leaving aside 4% of the agricultural area of a country like Romania, who has 9.4 million hectares of arable land, would mean almost 300,000 hectares of uncultivated land. I don't think anyone in Europe, or globally, can afford to leave such an area unproductive, especially the area of a country like Romania, with such a fertile soil," Chesnoiu said after a meeting of the government on Wednesday.

The Agrifish Council comes after anextraordinary video conference on March 2, 2022 where ministers discussed the potentially significant impact of Russia's military aggression on the market for key agricultural inputs and commodities such as natural gas, fertilisers and animal feed. Ministers also expressed unanimous solidarity with Ukraine.