Food security and support to local farming should be key priorities for EU's agriculture policy
The EU’s Agriculture ministers should shore up local farming and food security while coronavirus risks are still high.
The political start of the second semester 2020 was eagerly awaited by the entire European farming community. Many essential issues were put on the agenda of the German Presidency Informal Council on Agriculture held in Koblenz, in a context made uncertain by the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic. Copa and Cogeca Presidents Joachim Rukwied and Ramon Armengol took the floor to ask the ministers present to take into account the lessons learned from the first wave of the crisis, particularly in the context of the upcoming discussions on the CAP and the Green Deal.
During his intervention Copa President Joachim Rukwied stated “The outbreak of the coronavirus is still causing a dramatic impact on rural areas across the EU, with both immediate and medium- to long-term consequences in many sectors, as recognised by the Commission. The Union’s medium- to long-term response to the pandemic must be based on a solid and robust economic recovery programme that takes into consideration an increased sustainability, a response to climate change and an improved biodiversity protection. It must also continue to strive to improve the Union’s single market and the functioning of the food supply chain.”