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European Union agriculture ministers outlined their strategic priorities for the sector, focusing on financial sustainability, the completion of the Common Agricultural Policy, and reducing geopolitical dependencies on the sidelines of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council.
Statement by Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry of Italy:
“Yes, we have relaunched what, in our opinion, must be the three fundamental pillars to safeguard the European Union and the countries that compose it, while ensuring prosperity for European citizens. What strategy? Production, protection, and promotion. These are three elements of a strategic vision that Italy is putting in place, particularly in the agri-food sector. Safeguarding production means having simple and effective rules to incentivize a sustainability viewed from every perspective—not only environmental, but also economic, alongside the income of businesses. Innovating, investing in research: these are elements that strengthen the system.
Statement by Maria Panayiotou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of Cyprus:
“Good morning. Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture today here in Brussels, under the Irish Presidency. It is the first Council under the Irish Presidency, and we would like to wish every success to our Irish colleague, as well as to his team. We are certain that we will have a productive six-month Presidency. As the outgoing Presidency, we will, of course, continue to support their efforts so that we can conclude the procedures for a strong Common Agricultural Policy to the benefit of our farmers.”
Statement by Tone Kajzer, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia
Today we are starting with the Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries. From Slovenia’s perspective, two main substantive points are important: namely, the strategy regarding livestock farming, and the protein strategy. Regarding the latter, strategic independence—or strategic autonomy—is crucial when it comes to the production of protein feed. We see that due to geopolitical circumstances, we are becoming increasingly dependent and, I could say, insecure regarding the supply.