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Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Dr Maria Panayiotou participated in the work of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the European Union (EU), which took place in Brussels.
The main topic of the meeting was the continuation of the discussion on how to address the current situation in the agricultural sector. The Council welcomed the European Commission's recent proposals to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and reduce the administrative burden for farmers and national authorities. It reaffirmed its commitment to the immediate adoption of the Commission's proposals to amend the CAP Regulations by April 2024.
In her intervention, Dr Panagiotou, among other things, welcomed the actions proposed by the Commission to strengthen the position of farmers in the agri-food chain, such as the creation of a European observatory on production costs, profit margins and commercial practices and flexibility in the implementation of controls concerning farmers with small plots, which for Cyprus concerns more than 85% of the beneficiaries of CAP subsidies. The above, the Minister noted, cannot bring about the desired result without further support for farmers.
During the discussion on the state of the markets, the Ministers acknowledged the challenges faced by farmers due to climate change, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Dr Panagiotou stressed that the current situation increases the insecurity of farmers, noting that in Cyprus the problems have been exacerbated by the ongoing drought. She agreed with the suggestion of other Member States to extend the temporary crisis framework for financial support to farmers and called on the European Commission to proceed with more support measures.
Concerning fisheries issues, Cyprus supported Portugal's initiative to continue support in cases of emergency events to fishermen through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund 2021-2027 for the period 2023 and 2024.
Finally, it is noted that the Council approved without discussion the new Regulation on Geographical Indications and Quality Schemes. The provisions of the new Regulation, in essence, extend until 2029, instead of July 2024, the possibility of fixing the proportion of milk used for the production of halal jam. The Regulation is expected to be published in the Official Journal of the European Union in April with the possibility of immediate application for Member States.
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