On Monday, February 24th, Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze will participate in the European Union (EU) Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels, where discussions will focus on the situation in the EU agricultural and food markets and strengthening rural areas.
When discussing the external factors of the EU agricultural market, ministers will also review the latest proposal from the European Commission (EC) to increase import tariffs on agricultural and food products from Russia and Belarus, as well as certain fertilizers, and assess the potential impact of these measures on production within the EU. The Latvian delegation will once again call for an increase in import duties on fish and fish products, as well as on a broader range of fertilizers.
EU ministers will review the key factors affecting the agricultural market, focusing on animal and plant diseases, geopolitical challenges, and trade issues. A particularly complex situation has emerged in the livestock sector following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany, which has disrupted trade flows, especially due to restrictions imposed by third countries. The Latvian agricultural market is also directly impacted by Russia’s ban on the transit of animals and animal-origin products, imposed on January 20th, which has slowed trade with Central Asia—a historically significant market for Latvia. As a result, Latvia will urge the EC to find solutions to improve the agricultural market situation, including calling for the EC to take active steps to ensure that third countries recognize the principle of regionalization when importing goods from the EU.
The Council will also discuss rural areas, which are a crucial part of the economy. The meeting will address ways to improve legislation to better reflect the needs of rural areas and strengthen these regions to prevent depopulation and economic decline. Policymakers will seek the best approaches to assess the impact of policies on employment, rural development, social well-being, environmental sustainability, and the quality of opportunities available to communities to ensure that rural and urban areas are equally supported.
Ministers will also review the EC’s vision for the future of EU agriculture and food production, which was published on February 19th, outlining the strategic direction for the next EU planning period starting in 2028.