Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The Council of EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers held a meeting that included a political discussion on the vision for agriculture and food, published by the European Commission on February 19, 2025. According to a statement distributed in Brussels late Tuesday evening, the Council welcomed the vision's emphasis on the need for dialogue with farmers and its placing food security and agricultural production at its core. Czeslaw Siekierski, Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, whose country currently holds the rotating EU Presidency, said, "Without farmers, there is no food to feed. We want to ensure that their views are taken into account in shaping the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and that they receive the support they need to continue feeding Europe. The EU is taking steps to reduce bureaucracy, and the simplification of the CAP is a concrete example of this. We want to make agriculture more competitive and attractive for future generations."
The ministers emphasized the need for a sufficient and separate budget for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to achieve the vision's ambitious goals, and many pointed out that the CAP should continue to be based on two key pillars. The Council agreed on the importance of simplifying agricultural policies, taking into account national and regional specificities. The need to support rural areas and promote generational renewal also emerged in the ministerial discussions.
Other important objectives highlighted by the ministers included enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of agriculture, motivating farmers to adopt environmentally friendly practices, developing a water resilience strategy, and providing the necessary funding for innovation.
Finally, several ministers called for appropriate EU support for rural areas on the EU's eastern borders, in light of the negative impacts of the Russian war of aggression.