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Market situation in the wake of the Ukraine invasion
The Council invited the Ukrainian agriculture minister, Roman Leshchenko, to speak via video link about the agricultural situation and the needs prevalent in his country, which were then discussed by ministers. The ministers went on to hold an exchange of views on the market situation for agricultural and agri-food products and the situation of the EU’s agricultural sector, given the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They discussed measures that could be taken not only to continue tosafeguard food suppliesin the short term, but also to enhance the EU’s food security and food sovereignty in the medium and long term. The discussion also touched upon the potential impact of the crisis on the food security of non-EU countries. The option of cultivating set-aside land in 2022 was announced as part of these measures.
Ministers were also provided with a summary by the German delegation of the G7 meeting of agriculture ministers which took place on 11 March, and received information from the Dutch delegation on the use of biobased fertilisers.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it was essential for us to show our solidarity with Ukraine. We held a discussion with the Ukrainian minister to determine what kind of assistance should be provided quickly. Moreover, we needed to take urgent measures to ensure not only food sovereignty in the EU, but also food security at a global level. Today the EU’s agriculture ministers demonstrated their commitment to deploying effective solutions in the short, medium and long term, as well as to supporting Ukraine’s farming sector.
Julien Denormandie, French Minister for Agriculture and Food
The Commission updated ministers on the state of play of its evaluation of the strategic plans under the future CAP. An exchange of views followed, focusing in particular on:
the need to approve the plans quickly in order to ensure that farmers are aware of the new rules
the need for flexibility to adapt the plans with a view to ensuring food security in the wake of thewar in Ukraine
the criteria used by the Commission to approve the plans
the transparency of the process
The Hungarian delegation also took the floor to present a declaration on behalf of the Visegrad Group, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia on measures in their CAP strategic plans that they felt would contribute to a fairer and greener European agriculture.
A fairer, greener and more performance based EU agricultural policy (infographic)
Other topics on the agenda
During the meeting, delegations provided information about the following topics: protein crops (Austria); the revision of geographical indications (Spain); the revision of the sustainable pesticides directive (Poland), the impact of rising fuel prices on fishing activity (Spain); and alternatives to plant protection products (Slovenia).
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it was essential for us to show our solidarity with Ukraine. We held a discussion with the Ukrainian minister to determine what kind of assistance should be provided quickly. Moreover, we needed to take urgent measures to ensure not only food sovereignty in the EU, but also food security at a global level. Today the EU’s agriculture ministers demonstrated their commitment to deploying effective solutions in the short, medium and long term, as well as to supporting Ukraine’s farming sector.
