On Monday January 27, Kaspars Gerhards, the Minister for Agriculture, while participating in the EU Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries in Brussels, where the European Commission (COM) introduced aspects of the European Green Deal to the EU Member States, emphasized: “We understand the ambitious objectives set up by the European Commission in the context of climate changes and we see the role of agriculture and forestry in achieving of these objectives. However, solely by means of funding from the EU Common Agricultural Policy, it will be impossible to achieve all the objectives set up for agriculture by the European Green Deal, for example, containing of antimicrobial resistance, raising animal welfare standards and others. Therefore, to achieve these objectives, it is essential to discuss a fair support for all the EU Member States, so that they do not stay on paper only.”
The European Green Deal is a new growth strategy with a view to transform the EU into a just and prosperous society with a state-of-art, resource-efficient economy where glasshouse gas (GHG) emissions would be reduced to zero by 2050 and economic growth would not be associated with the consumption of resources. In order to implement the European Green Deal, COM will also revise its policies in the area of food and agriculture.
The Ministry of Agriculture considers that an additional funding would be necessary to achieve the ambitious objectives set up by strategic documents planned by COM. Therefore, it is necessary to make additional financial support instruments available for all the Member States and sectors. Otherwise it will be very complicated to achieve objectives of the European Green Deal.
On January 27, in Brussels, Kaspars Gerhards, the Minister for Agriculture, met Janusz Wojciechowski, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, and in the course of talks, expressing an unequivocal position by Latvia on the necessity to develop in the EU a fair and proportionate CAP financial support to Member States. During the meeting, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development expressed understanding of the Latvian position as presented by the Minister Kaspars Gerhards, regarding the need to provide support to EU farmers for implementation of the European Green Deal to ensure achieving of these objectives.
Upon meeting Virginijus Sinkevičius, the Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Kaspars Gerhards, the Minister, discussed topical issues of the fisheries sector, emphasizing the need to urgently find a solution to and support for fishermen due to the ban on cod fishing as well as COM needs to come forward with proposals how to support fisheries in the future and how to encourage young people get engaged in the fisheries sector.
The Minister also met Peter Jahr, Member of the Agricultural and Rural Development Committee of the European Parliament and the rapporteur on the reform of Common Agricultural Policy, expressing Latvia’s position on important CAP reform issues.