EU MED-9 commits to joint action in agricultural sector

The Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries of the nine Southern EU countries forming the EU MED-9 group expressed their commitment to joint action, enhanced cooperation, and to promoting a sustainable agricultural and fisheries model in the region, in a joint statement following their latest meeting on 20 February.

Furthermore, they announced that the new EU MED-9 meeting will take place on 26 February in Brussels, at the initiative of Greece.

More specifically, the signatories of the joint statement are the Ministers of Agriculture of Greece Lefteris Avgenakis, Cyprus Maria Panayiotou, Italy Francesco Lollobrigida, Croatia Marija Vučković, Malta Anton Refalo, Portugal Maria do Céu Antunes, Slovenia Eva Knez, Spain Fernando Miranda Sotillos and France Philippe Duclaud.

In their joint statement, the nine Ministers note that farmers, fishermen and the entire agricultural sector are experiencing tremendous challenges, amid the prevailing climate crisis, particularly affecting the Mediterranean region.

"Recognising the broader spectrum of impacts on farmers’ income and their standard of living, we hereby declare our collective commitment to fortifying collaboration, endorsing relevant initiatives, and supporting dialogues on the climate crisis and other common concerns, such as the need for a simplification of the CAP," the Ministers say at their joint statement.

At the same time, they stress that their paramount objective is "to strengthen the agri-food sector, through concerted efforts and coordinated actions aimed at supporting our farmers and fostering the resilience of the entire food value chain."

"We pledge to prioritise the development of a sustainable agricultural and fisheries sector in the region, thus strengthening food sovereignty in the EU and ensuring that food supplies reach consumers at reasonable price," the Joint Statement concludes.

The Ministers of the EU MED-9 group announced that they will meet again on February 26, in Brussels, to coordinate their action in view of the Belgian Presidency's initiative to raise the issue of CAP simplification at the EU Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers.

(Source: CNA)