Spain contributes to discussions on the future of agriculture and fisheries in the European Union
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has chaired, by videoconference, the meeting of the advisory councils on agricultural and fisheries policy in preparation for the Council of Ministers of the European Union on Monday 24 in Brussels.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, during the meeting of the advisory councils on agricultural policyThe Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, during the meeting of the advisory councils on agricultural and fisheries policy.
Planas has explained the position that Spain will defend in the debates on the future of agriculture and fisheries in the European Union, which will have to face new challenges arising from the current geopolitical situation, as well as climate change, which is having an increasingly greater impact on the primary sector, to the regional ministers and regional councillors for the sector.
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Luis Planas chairs the advisory councils on agricultural and fisheries policy
The minister detailed Spain’s position in the political debate on the European Union’s vision for the agri-food sector in the coming years. A strategy that, according to Planas, is ‘appropriate for achieving a modern, competitive and resilient sector’ prepared for a world in constant evolution. To achieve this, ‘it is essential to have a strong Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with a budget and robust funding to meet the new challenges and priorities’.
‘Future CAP aid will be more focused on farmers who are actively involved in food production, the economic vitality of farms and the preservation of the environment,’ Planas stressed, adding that this funding must go hand in hand with simplification and stability in policies to avoid creating additional burdens, both for producers and for the administrations themselves.
Another of the main items on the Council’s agenda will be the future EU support for fisheries. The aim is to invite the European Commission to reflect on what the future holds for EU fisheries, in line with the work already done in the agricultural sector with the Vision. The minister referred to the fact that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is now more than 11 years old. This is a strategic sector, which is why Spain is committed to ‘boosting the competitiveness of the fisheries sector’. Generational replacement, reinforcing the training of professionals and improving the living conditions and safety of fishing vessels are some of the challenges facing the sector.
Planas therefore stressed that the current European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFF) ‘does not provide a response’ to some of the sector’s main challenges due to its excessive rigidity or the significant administrative burdens that prevent, for example, progress in the essential renewal of the fleet, adaptation to climate change or the necessary energy transition.
He also pointed out that he will again refer to the need to reform the European regulation on fishing in the Mediterranean, the Multiannual Plan for demersal fishing in the western Mediterranean, which has had a strong socio-economic impact and the sector has made great efforts to adapt. However, beyond an in-depth revision of the regulation within the framework of the CFP, the minister will stress the need for a specific modification that will allow Spain to have a margin of flexibility in the negotiations next December.