Takac: EC Proposals Will Mean Liquidation of Agriculture in Slovakia

Bratislava, 19 September (TASR) - The European Commission's (EC) proposals will mean the liquidation of agriculture in Slovakia because if €4.6 billion is available to Slovakia for its agricultural sector in the current programme period, it should be €1 billion less in the next one (multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034), Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) told a news conference on Friday. "The information that we received on Thursday (September 18), unfortunately, confirmed what we were saying. We were right that it was very bad, it was ruinous. It's ruinous not only for the whole of Europe, but for the agricultural sector in Slovakia," stated the minister. "The proposal published by the European Commission states that when funds for the agricultural sector are redistributed, Slovakia will receive almost €1 billion less than it did in the 2021 to 2027 programme period, when €4.6 billion was allocated to it," specified Takac. He pointed out that the EC originally considered creating a special separate fund, for example, for Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, i.e. for countries that face imports of farm commodities from Ukraine. "The EC is now proposing a special fund, but for countries that border Russia and Belarus, i.e. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland, which is an incomprehensible turnaround for me," he said. Takac pointed out that Slovakia has been an EU member for more than 20 years, but it hasn't yet matched the old EU-member states when it comes to direct payments. "We're at a level of 82 percent when compared to other EU countries. Some countries have 130 percent, 140 percent, 200 percent, but the Slovak Republic, after more than 20 years of EU membership, is at a level of 82 percent," added Takac. ko/df