At their last meeting in June, PES agriculture ministers welcomed the provisional agreement on CAP reform. The successful conclusion of the negotiations on the CAP was a significant achievement for the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU. It also represented a big step forward for socialist efforts to ensure the CAP supports both environmental and social goals.
Through their Strategic Plans for the CAP, Member States must now create stability and certainty for the agriculture sector and its workers.
Meeting Chair, Luxembourgish Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, and Minister of Social Security, Romain Schneider, said:
“Our Portuguese colleagues worked hard to conclude the CAP negotiations this summer. They managed to secure an agreement that allows the CAP to contribute to the objectives of the Green Deal and deliver social progress. This is exactly what we socialists wanted to achieve.
“Farming communities need security and certainty, especially in these difficult times. CAP payments must be distributed fairly and, just like all other workers in the EU, farmers and agricultural workers must have good working conditions and social protections. We must also continue the push to make agriculture more sustainable.
“The Portuguese Presidency set a strong foundation for this, now the task ahead is to prepare Strategic Plans which achieve these goals. This is the next step to securing a sustainable and fair agriculture sector which delivers quality food for citizens.”
The Commission Communication on A long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas was also on the agenda. Through the CAP and other policies, socialists want to ensure a better life for people in these communities, improve working conditions in the agricultural sector, and secure a sustainable future for Europe’s natural environment.
Ministers also reflected on the contribution of agriculture and forestry to achieving the 2030 greenhouse gases emissions target, recognising that all sectors of the economy will have to contribute towards the attainment of this collective goal.
Lastly, the social democratic ministers agreed on the necessity of protecting the stocks in the Baltic Sea, acknowledging that there are many factors that create the difficult situation there. The ministers believe that the scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea is the best available if we are to protect the stocks in the Baltic sufficiently while stressing that solving the problems of pollution in the Baltic Sea is very important. The ministers called for the adoption of the Commission proposal on Mackerel and emphasized the importance of staying united in a post-Brexit era and protecting relative stability.
The meeting was attended by:
- Romain Schneider, Chair, Minister for Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, Luxembourg
- Rasmus Prehn, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark
- Per Callenberg, State Secretary to the Minister for Business, Industry and Innovation, Sweden
