Luis Planas: 'We must preserve the Common Agricultural Policy as an engine for the construction and modernisation of Europe'

Group photo of the extraordinary meeting of the European Union's Agriculture Ministers held in Brussels

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has defended the need to rebuild the confidence of the European agricultural sector in the CAP as an essential condition for guaranteeing competitiveness, food security and the future of the European agri-food system. "We must preserve the CAP as an engine for the construction and modernisation of Europe", Planas stressed.

Planas took part today in the extraordinary Council of European Union Agriculture Ministers in Brussels, convened by the European Commission, and the first under the Cyprus Presidency. The meeting was co-chaired by the Commissioners for Agriculture and Rural Development (Christophe Hansen), Trade and Economic Security (Maroš Šefčovič), and Health and Consumer Policy (Olivér Várhelyi). The chairman of the European Parliament's agriculture committee also attended.

At the meeting, the Spanish minister stressed that "farmers' confidence is not broken, but it has seriously deteriorated, as reflected in the sector's mobilisations".

He pointed out that the Vision on Agriculture and Food presented in February and the proposals made subsequently have been perceived by the sector as contradictory messages, "which has generated uncertainty".

For this reason, Planas insisted that the CAP should once again be placed at the centre of European construction, and demanded that the sector should have at least the same level of funding as in the previous period, by means of a clear and comprehensible system for farmers.

The minister also defended the simplification of the CAP as a key element to regain the confidence of the sector. The new proposal is too complex and needs to be simplified from its initial design," he said.

In the same vein, in terms of agri-food health and the transition to sustainability, the minister advocated "a realistic approach that combines high standards of quality and safety with the economic viability of farms".

Spain reiterated that trade agreements "are globally positive for European interests and contribute to the stability of the sector", as long as they are developed under reciprocal conditions.

For this reason, Luis Planas defended the conclusion of the current negotiations and the signing of the agreements already closed. In particular, the agreement with Mercosur "is an opportunity for the agri-food sector". At a time of too many uncertainties in world trade, it is necessary to have some certainties, and Mercosur, which has safeguard mechanisms for the most sensitive sectors, will be a pillar to strengthen our foreign markets.

Spain values the recently adopted regulation on extraordinary safeguards and calls for progress in the protection of the internal market, including a ban on the entry into the EU of foodstuffs containing particularly harmful phytosanitary products that are already banned in the EU, as well as the reinforcement of border controls promoted by the European Commission. There is an urgent need to move towards reciprocity to demand the same production requirements as in the EU for food imported from third countries.

Luis Planas has urged the EU to urgently address the strategic deficit in the availability of fertilisers, both in terms of volume and price, as a determining factor for the competitiveness and strategic autonomy of the European agricultural sector.

Non official translation