The definition of the major threats to food security and the analysis of the targeting of various forms of support, including support for area income of the future CAP, towards strengthening food security in Europe were two key issues of the debate of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Member States at today’s AGRIFISH Council meeting.

Common Agricultural Policy post-2027

The Polish delegation confirmed the need to review direct support in terms of the better targeting and more efficient use of funds and sustained its concerns related to the inclusion of the Common Agricultural Policy in a single plan, which also includes other policies.

 – We consider the proposals presented by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen only as the beginning of the discussion; we expect the two-pillar approach to be maintained. Future solutions should guarantee effective mechanisms for fair competition, that is why we continue to support the structure of the CAP with a separate and adequate budget and a separate legal framework. We fully support the joint declaration initiated by Italy – said the Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski during the EU debate.

When presenting the Polish position, the Minister noted that agricultural income support instruments allowed to increase the predictability of financial flows as part of agricultural activities, the result of which would be ensuring the continuity of agricultural production. As a consequence, this mechanism contributes to ensuring food security, even if it happens at the local level.

– We welcome the support instruments proposed for the next period, but we have some observations in the context of their effective use. Certainly, adequate funds for their effective implementation should be guaranteed, the more that most of them are mandatory – noted the Minister.

The position of the Polish delegation also stresses the need to re-analyse the solutions proposed with regard to degressivity and capping, in terms of their expected effects. In view of the diverse structure of farms in individual countries, Poland proposes that higher capping thresholds should be allowed, while taking into account the role of the largest farms in ensuring food security.

– We welcome the proposal to target support to young farmers. However, we think that the measures of the start-up package for young farmers should be voluntary both for the Member States and for farmers themselves – said the Minister, while indicating the positive reception of the solution proposed by the Commission, in which support is also dedicated to small and medium-sized family farms.

Poland is opting for extending the scope of coupled support, among others, to include the pork sector, because, as the Polish Minister of Agriculture emphasised, coupled payments played a special role in the context of food security and it was them that allowed to maintain both the production potential of agriculture and economic activities in rural areas.

– We welcome the Commission’s proposal to develop and implement national food security preparedness and response plans. This can be an important contribution to building the resilience of the Member States. In the case of occurrence of extreme threats such as armed conflict or epidemic, interrupted supply chains become a major risk to food security, as we could observe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is important to have mechanisms guaranteeing the continuity and availability of supplies, which is contributed to by reserves of agricultural products – said Minister Krajewski in Brussels and confirmed Poland’s positive opinion on the creation of a coherent system of exchange of information on reserves, which the Commission planned to create at the EU level.

It is worth noting that currently each Member State has a separate methodology for determining its agricultural reserves in private entities, which, consequently, means that there is no uniform and reliable data on this issue across the EU. As Minister Krajewski pointed out, when creating the system, it should be borne in mind that the EU legislation takes into account the specific nature of individual countries in the field of national competences, including in the area of managing their own reserve systems.

Trade agreements with Ukraine and Mercosur countries

The EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council stressed again the need to place particular emphasis on the issue of strengthening EU-Ukraine relations, pointing out that trade in agri-food products between the EU and Ukraine is essential for the Ukrainian economy.

The Polish delegation mentioned the great concern of agricultural communities, caused by trade agreements with Ukraine and the EU-Mercosur agreement. In this context, Minister Krajewski pointed to the urgent need to monitor the import and to secure financial support for farmers. At the same time, our delegation confirmed the Polish government’s negative position on the EU-Mercosur agreement.

– With concern, we are looking at the market for sugar, and on the other hand, beef and poultry that could come from Mercosur countries and distort market relations. That is why safeguard clauses and brake mechanisms are so important, so are bigger funds for the protection of the interests of Polish farmers. We should observe the market and every situation that emerges so that the problem that we had when the Polish market had been flooded with cereals from Ukraine does not recur. I am glad that many Member States are of similar opinion. I also hope that the motion initiated by MEP Krzysztof Hetman will be sufficient endorsed in the European Parliament, will be referred to the Court of Justice, and that we will be able to postpone the signing of the agreement for several years, which can be used to negotiate even better conditions for the agricultural sector – said Minister Stefan Krajewski in Brussels.

Appeal for reviewing the Common Fisheries Policy

10 years after the adoption of the Common Fisheries Policy, a key document determining the framework for the Member States’ activities in the fisheries sector, the EU Ministers of Agriculture unanimously point to the need to review the existing regulations. In their opinion, the current provisions of the document are scattered and inconsistent, which results in legal uncertainty and bureaucratic burdens for the entire sector. In the face of new challenges and geopolitical tensions, climate change and growing competition for maritime space, the authors of the Appeal suggest the need for an urgent and ambitious reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

– Poland fully supports the Appeal for revising this document. We see the need to take into account the changes that have taken place over the last 20 years in the field of fisheries policy, geopolitical situation and resources of key importance for the EU – said Minister Stefan Krajewski. In the presented position, the Polish delegation opted for the preparation of regulations that would reflect the new reality faced by the EU countries today.

Taking into account the Commission’s proposals to shift the burden of budgetary expenditure in the next financial perspective 2028–2034 to areas other than fisheries, Minister Stefan Krajewski noted that it would seem purposeful to review the legislation governing the implementation of the measures already available under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. As the Minister pointed out, the proposal for changes submitted by the Finnish delegation could constitute a step towards the effective use of that part of the allocation that had not yet been consumed by the Member States.

– Therefore, we support the proposals to amend the European Maritime Fund Regulation and sustain our position on the need to increase funds for the fishing sector as part of the new programming period.

At the same time, Poland supported the concerns of the Czech, Hungarian and Slovak delegations regarding a significant reduction in the pool of funds allocated to the aquaculture sector, which posed a serious threat to its development and made that sector compete for funds with other strong sectors under the National and Regional Partnership Plan (NRPP).