Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
A meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries in the member states of the European Union will be held in Brussels today, Monday. Participants in the meeting will discuss several files, including fishing opportunities for the year 2024 in the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, and the file of new genomic technologies, in addition to the implementation of the European Union forest strategy. For the year 2030, including discussing the issue of deforestation and announcing a European position on a long-term vision for rural areas in the European Union, including the role of farmers in the sustainability of rural areas.
Highlights of the agenda
Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers will meet in Brussels on 20 November 2023. They will hold their first discussion on fishing opportunities for 2024 in the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Ministers will seek to agree a set of conclusions on a long-term vision for rural areas in the EU and, among other topics, will discuss the current status of the proposal to regulate new genomic technologies.
The Council will exchange views based on the Commission’s presentation of its proposals regarding identifying fishing opportunities in the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
New genomic technologies (NGTs)
According to what was issued by the European Union institutions in Brussels, the current Spanish presidency of the Union will provide public information on the status of the ongoing work on the proposal to regulate plants obtained by some new genomic techniques and their food and feed products. In the context of this point, the Croatian delegation is also expected to provide information on this topic.
Forests
During a plenary session, the Commission will brief ministers on the implementation of the EU Forests Strategy 2030, and the Austrian delegation is expected to provide information on the “For Forests” cluster, while the German delegation is expected to inform ministers on support measures for forests. Partner countries regarding deforestation.
In addition, also in the plenary session, the Italian delegation is expected to provide information to the Council on the role of farmers in ensuring the sustainability of rural areas, and the French delegation is expected to provide information on the partial implementation of GAEC 8 for the year 2024.