In Bulgaria on the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU

During the opening ceremony of the fair, the Secretary of State Jacek Czerniak reminded the priorities of the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU in the context of food security.

Jacek Czerniak, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development:

“Nowadays, the foundation of the Polish Presidency’s activities is security, and ensuring food security for the growing world population is the overriding goal of agriculture. The priority is a competitive and resilient European agriculture that will ensure food security for all Europeans. Geopolitical challenges prove that food security is not an achievement which is permanent and given once and for all. It must be constantly protected and strengthened.”

Important dialogue with farmers

The Minister stressed that Poland wanted to create the future of the CAP in a dialogue with producers, by listening to their arguments. He pointed out that our Presidency was striving for a strong Common Agricultural Policy – based on two pillars, supporting farmers and rural development.

Deputy Minister Czerniak also stressed the key importance of using innovative agricultural machinery presented at the exhibition and innovative solutions used in production, for the purpose of ensuring food security in Europe.

Polish stand

The Secretary of State Jacek Czerniak, the Minister of Agriculture and Food of Bulgaria Georgi Tahov and the head of the PAIH Foreign Trade Office Krzysztof Przyłucki participated in the symbolic opening of the Polish stand. They talked with the Polish exhibitors about the challenges faced by manufacturers of agricultural machinery and equipment. In this year’s edition of the fair, 10 companies from Poland presented their rich offer. The organiser of the stand was the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH).

Bilateral talks

On the sidelines of the BATA AGRO fair, the Deputy Minister Jacek Czerniak talked with the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of Bulgaria Lozana Vasileva on topics related to: the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, foot-and-mouth disease cases in Europe, the work of the Polish Presidency on a project in the field of new genomic techniques (NGT), empowerment of farmers in the food chain as well as the achievements and plans of the Polish Presidency. The meeting was also attended by the Chief Veterinary Officer of Bulgaria.

Demands of Bulgaria

The Bulgarian party expressed its appreciation for the existing achievements of the Polish Presidency, in particular in the field of veterinary medicine, as well as in the field of NGT. Both parties stressed that Poland and Bulgaria shared similar goals and expectations in relation to the future, two-pillar Common Agricultural Policy and trade relations with third countries (among others, the EU-Mercosur agreement). An important demand of Bulgaria is also the equalisation of direct payments in the EU.