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As you know, Cyprus has the honour of chairing for 2024 the informal MED-9 cooperation, which includes the nine Mediterranean member states of the European Union: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Malta, Portugal, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.
From the very first moment, as the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (MARD), we took advantage of this Presidency opportunity by organising meetings of the nine Ministers of Agriculture in Brussels, prior to the EU Agriculture Ministers' Councils.
This helped to further coordinate common positions and increase the promotion of common problems and requests of the nine Member States before the Council.
This helped to further coordinate common positions and increase the promotion of common problems and requests of the nine Member States before the Council. A typical example is the recent significant simplifications in the revision of the regulatory framework of the Common Agricultural Policy for the benefit of our farmers, but also the support for the request of Cyprus, as submitted to the Agriculture Council last April, in which we asked the European Commission to provide assistance to address the adverse conditions faced by our farmers due to the prolonged drought.
The next important step, therefore, is to host, here in Cyprus, the 1-3 September 2 We are honoured to have with us the Ministers of Agriculture of all nine Member States participating in the Alliance. It is also a particular honour for us that the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Janusz Wojciechowski, will be attending the Summit, will welcome the opening of MED9 and will have a private meeting with me, where I will inform him about the problems facing the primary sector in order to further promote their resolution.
A universal demand of the nine Member States participating in the Summit is for a common policy to protect the future of farmers and the agri-food sector, food security and biodiversity. This Summit is therefore an important milestone:
- towards the creation of a sustainable agricultural sector that is resilient and able to meet future challenges, particularly in the face of extreme weather and drought caused by climate change.
- for integrated and sustainable water management in the Mediterranean.
I should mention that, as part of my counterparts' presence on the island, thematic visits to agricultural facilities and government infrastructure related to wider water management have been organised, and they will be informed about the particular problems facing Cypriot agriculture.
Dear all,
The organisation of this Summit focusing on the threat of drought to the primary sector is of paramount importance for us here in Cyprus.
The organisation of this Summit focusing on the threat of drought to the primary sector is of paramount importance for us here in Cyprus.
Together with our farmers we are experiencing every day the effects of decreasing rainfall and increasing drought, both on production and on the incomes of our farmers.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment is promoting joint actions, proposing solutions and taking initiatives, so that in a framework of cooperation and solidarity, the resources and tools (financial and otherwise) offered to us by the EU can be fully exploited. What we want is to create the conditions and opportunities that will support our farmers, ensuring a sustainable future for agriculture and, by extension, for all EU citizens.
(EFYs/AS/NZ)
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