Regional Ministers: EU Proposals Threaten Both Farmers and Food Security

Budapest, 26 March (TASR) - The European Commission's (EC) proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2027 would mean a reduction in agricultural funding, create competition between agriculture and other policies, and threaten the stability of farmers' incomes, agriculture ministers from the Visegrad Four (V4) countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) plus Bulgaria and Romania concurred in Budapest on Thursday, adding that this is not modernisation, but a step backward that could weaken European agriculture, TASR was told by the Slovak Agriculture Ministry. The agriculture ministers sent a "clear and unified" signal that the EC's current proposals for CAP should be unambiguous and transparent, with the rules more clearly separated from other policies. In the context of the new multiannual financial framework, they called for a strong CAP budget capable of responding to current challenges and reflecting the sector's investment needs. The meeting of the agriculture ministers took place under the Hungarian V4 presidency, whose main priorities include strengthening the region's competitiveness, security, and connectivity. Slovak Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) highlighted the key importance of regional cooperation. "I'm convinced that it's precisely the joint dialogue among the Visegrad Four countries - which met in an expanded format with the participation of representatives from Bulgaria and Romania - that will contribute to advancing our priorities at the EU level as well," he said. The V4 plus two ministers emphasised that, at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, the EC's approach is incomprehensible. "If Europe weakens its own farmers, it weakens itself. Food security can't be taken for granted," they stated. According to them, the joint call is clear: preserve a strong CAP, maintain funding at least at current levels, and don't shift responsibility to member states. The ministers rejected several proposals, such as a single fund that could undermine the common nature of the policy, higher co-financing that would favour wealthier countries, and rigid rules that don't reflect the reality faced by farmers. Such an approach, they maintain, would create unequal conditions and harm countries in this region in particular. am