Participation of the Minister of Agriculture in the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg
The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Maria Panagiotou requested the increase of the de minimis limit under state aid in agriculture to 50 thousand euros per single enterprise at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, held in Luxembourg, supporting Germany's initiative together with 13 other member states.
As stated in a statement from the Ministry of the Interior, the main topic of the session was the continuation of the discussion on dealing with the current situation in the agricultural sector.
The Ministers welcomed the approval of the European Commission (EU) proposals by the European Parliament (EP) on 24/4/2024. “The proposals include provisions for increasing agricultural production and securing additional agricultural income as well as special arrangements for small agricultural holdings, which favors more than 80% of the applicants of the KOAP. The Ministers also referred to additional tools to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and ways to strengthen the position of farmers in the food chain,” it added.
According to the announcement, in her intervention, Dr. Panagiotou expressed her satisfaction with the approval of the EU proposals by the EP, which were also the positions of Cyprus, noting, however, the need for further steps to simplify the CAP.
“He supported the possibility of providing additional support to farmers, through measures to deal with any crisis that may arise, with the possibility of utilizing part of the credits for the Strategic Plans”, it states.
He additionally noted that, with the aim of fully absorbing the EU and state funding of the CAP, there should be flexibility in the redistribution of funds between the measures. for full absorption to the benefit of farmers.
Also, together with other member states, he supported the extension of the Temporary State Aid Framework until the end of the year.
“Supporting Germany's initiative together with 13 other member states, requested the increase of the de minimis limit under State aid in agriculture, to 50 thousand euros per single enterprise”, it is noted.
Mrs. Panagiotou also welcomed the actions proposed by the Commission to strengthen the position of farmers in the agri-food chain and noted that Cyprus has already moved forward with local interventions and actions to ensure a fair income for farmers.
< p>The announcement goes on to say that during the working lunch, the Ministers had the opportunity to be informed by Professor Strohschneider about the progress of the “Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture in the EU”, which is an EU initiative.
< p>“Dr. Panagiotou, highlighting the essential role of farmers in food production and the achievement of the EU's environmental goals, emphasized the importance of satisfactory and adequate support for agriculture, through a simplified institutional framework”, it is noted.
Climate change, noted the Minister, makes the immediate institutionalization of new tools to deal with crises imperative, with funding either through new credits or by redistributing unspent credits.
According to the new CAP itself, to ensure generational succession so that the EU's food security is not jeopardized as fewer and fewer young people follow the farming profession. He also noted the need to fund research and innovation and promote practices that enhance the sustainability and resilience of agriculture.
On trade-related agriculture issues, Ministers were briefed on current developments regarding the trade relations of the EU with Third countries in the sector.
In the context of the discussion, dr. Panagiotou, supporting the efforts to promote these trade agreements, pointed out the need to form a balanced framework that strengthens food security and ensures the competitiveness of agriculture and the sustainability of EU food systems, concludes the announcement of the Ministry of Agriculture.< /p>
