27/05/2019 (Agence Europe) – In a statement issued on 24 May, the European Commission is calling on Member States to take advantage of the potential of new technologies and digitisation in agriculture to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector and simplify farmers' daily work. The Commission recalls that most EU Member States signed a declaration in April on a smart and sustainable digital future for European agriculture and rural areas. This subject was raised at the last Agriculture Council on 14 May. However, “the uptake of new technologies remains far below expectations and varies from one country to another”, says the Commission, which wants this gap to be closed so that everyone, including small and medium-sized farmers, can access new technologies. (LC)