Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze has approached EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, the official responsible for EU policy simplification, and presented specific proposals for the European Commission (EC) to implement in order to streamline EU regulatory frameworks and requirements in the agricultural sector.
The minister urges Valdis Dombrovskis to dedicate special efforts to simplifying EU regulations in agriculture, food production, forestry, and fisheries, as these sectors are subject to extensive EU requirements affecting a broad range of businesses and farms. Implementing Armands Krauze’s proposals would ease the workload of businesses and administrative institutions while reducing bureaucracy in compliance processes.
Armands Krauze has submitted proposals to Valdis Dombrovskis outlining how the EU can simplify the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), rationally review fisheries policy requirements, and prevent new regulatory burdens from being introduced by EC legislative proposals.
Minister Armands Krauze states: "The implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy at the EU level is extremely cumbersome for both relevant sectors and national institutions. Therefore, unnecessary requirements must be urgently eliminated, and complex planning and reporting must be significantly simplified. Member states should be allowed to adjust strategic plans according to local and market conditions, that way preventing the weakening of agricultural and food producers’ positions in the supply chain. Other urgent measures should also be implemented."
In the Common Fisheries Policy, Armands Krauze emphasizes the need to eliminate the requirement that penalizes fishermen for inaccurately estimating catch volumes at sea. If the weight measured onshore differs from the declared amount at sea, fishermen currently face disproportionate administrative penalties. The minister also highlights that small coastal fishermen should not be subjected to excessive monitoring requirements, such as mandatory fish weighing systems and onboard video surveillance.
Additionally, Armands Krauze has submitted a proposal to Dombrovskis for easing the implementation of the currently complex Deforestation Regulation and reducing the disproportionate administrative burden on member states in the Forest Monitoring Regulation. The proposed data collection methods would duplicate already existing data.
Proposals have also been sent regarding the bureaucratic burden of animal transportation, where excessive oversight and control are imposed at loading and unloading sites. Furthermore, new requirements for testing fruit and vegetable varieties should not be introduced, as they would impose significant administrative and financial burdens on breeders, potentially reducing the development and registration of new varieties.
To advocate for reducing bureaucratic burdens and accelerating the simplification of requirements for farmers, fishermen, and foresters, Armands Krauze has also sent his proposals to EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and Circular Economy Jessika Roswall, and Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi.