Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Petros Xenophontos attended the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting held in Luxembourg
The discussions focused on the situation of the EU agricultural market and trade with Ukraine following Russia's invasion of the country. The discussion was prompted by the unilateral measures taken by Member States neighbouring Ukraine, due to the import and presence on their territories of significant quantities of Ukrainian agricultural products, which are causing serious disturbances on their markets. The Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture, Mr Mykola Solskyi, took part in the debate by videoconference. The European Commission, recognising the magnitude of the impact, indicated that it is working on additional measures for farmers in these regions. In his intervention, Mr. Xenophontos expressed Cyprus' solidarity with the affected Member States, while stressing the problems faced by our country with the very high increase in production costs and the inability to sell certain products at competitive prices. Given the situation on the European market, he urged the Commission to come forward with proposals to create possibilities for support for all member states.
The '27' also exchanged views on the agricultural and forestry aspects of the regulation on the certification of carbon sinks. The Minister said that Cyprus supports the establishment of a voluntary EU carbon certification scheme, in the framework of the Green Deal, which will also be accessible to smallholder farmers, taking into account local specificities.
Regarding the implementation of the National Strategic Plans, the Minister informed his counterparts that Cyprus has taken important steps towards the implementation of the National Plan. In this context, he stressed the need for further simplification and to provide maximum flexibility to Member States for the efficient implementation of the Strategic Plans.
During a working lunch, the Ministers exchanged views with the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Ms Stella Kyriakidou, on the Commission's initiative for a proposal for a Regulation on new genomic techniques. The Minister said that Cyprus supports the observance of the "precautionary principle" in the context of the implementation of new genomic techniques, by creating a legislative framework that responds to the concerns of Member States, protecting the environment, while supporting the sustainability of food systems, food safety and security and the proper use of new technologies.
