EU agriculture ministers will meet in Brussels under the chairmanship of Cypriot Maria Panayiotou on Monday, 30 March, to take stock of the implementation of the ‘Vision for Agriculture and Food’ a little over a year after it was adopted by the European Commission.
The ministers will have a discussion on trade-related agricultural issues in an international context marked by several sensitive issues: free trade agreements (notably with Mercosur and Australia) as well as the consequences of the war in the Middle East. The situation in the dairy market will, once again, be on the agenda.
After the European Commission’s evaluation of the first year of implementing the ‘Vision for Agriculture and Food’, the ministers will proceed to take stock of the situation themselves.
A document from the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU lists the numerous planned or ongoing initiatives: the creation of a European Observatory for Agricultural Land, a revision of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, a revision of legislation on animal welfare, a strategy on livestock farming, a plan for protein supply, an action plan on fertilisers, a revision of European rules on public procurement contracts, an action plan on geographical indications, studies on ultra-processed products, and a digital strategy for agriculture.
The ministers have been invited to express their opinions on any additional measures that could prove necessary, particularly in light of “evolving geopolitical developments”.
Trade. The European Commission recently expanded its network of free trade agreements with the announcement that it had concluded negotiations with India (27 February) and notably with Australia (24 March).
Other bilateral discussions are ongoing, including with the Philippines, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. The European Commission also confirmed on 23 March that the implementation of the interim trade agreement with Mercosur countries would come into force on 1 May.
The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference, which is being held in Yaoundé (Cameroon) from 26 to 29 March, is also expected to deliver its conclusions on agricultural issues. In this tense geopolitical context, the ministers could finally discuss the developments in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the group of experts on the European Food Security Crisis Preparedness and Response Mechanism (EFSCM) met on Thursday, 26 March, to examine the impacts on trade flows, energy, and fertilisers.
Milk under pressure. During this EU Council meeting, several Member States are expected to, once again, ask the European Commission to intervene on the dairy market – specifically by envisaging a programme to voluntarily reduce production, like the one introduced in 2016 (see EUROPE 13836/10).
On 23 March, Copa-Cogeca’s ‘dairy products’ working party met with European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen in order to call for the market to be closely monitored and for the ability to intervene quickly in the event of any deterioration.
Other topics. The EU Council will examine several other issues: the promotion of the use of digestate in Europe (requested by Italy), the financial ceilings for direct payments for the 2027 claim year (Poland: https://aeur.eu/f/ld5 ), the necessary amendments to the automatic safeguard clause of the Generalised System of Preferences Regulation (Italy), the transitional provisions for sectoral interventions in the wine sector and in the fruit and vegetable sector (Spain and Portugal: https://aeur.eu/f/ld3 ), and the joint declaration of the ministers of agriculture of the Visegrad Group (see other news). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)