Food security top of Czech Presidency agrifood priorities

The most important thing is to provide EU farmers with “clarity to give them certainty" including legal certainty, according to Dmitrij Černikov, spokesperson at the Czech permanent representation to the EU. [SHUTTERSTOCK]

Food security will be the key shaping force of the agrifood priorities of the incoming Czech Presidency, featuring on the agenda of all meetings of EU agriculture ministers over the next six months.

The Czech Republic took over the reins of the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union on Friday (1 July) with all eyes on Ukraine, which has been battling Russian forces since February.

“Russian aggression to Ukraine has reformulated the priorities of the Czech presidency practically in all areas, and agriculture is no exception,” Dmitrij Černikov, COREPER I spokesperson for the Czech permanent representation to the EU, told EURACTIV, stressing that ensuring food security is “once again on the top of the agenda”.

Between Russia and Ukraine, the two agricultural powerhouses account for over a third of global exports of wheat, as well as over half of sunflower oil exports. Disruptions due to Russia’s invasion have sparked concerns about global food insecurity.

“Addressing the impact of the crisis caused by Russian aggression will be our priority, we will continue to steer the discussion on the market situation,” he said, explaining that the plan is to address the issue “from the very beginning” and to put this point on every meeting of the EU agriculture ministers during the course of the Czech Presidency.

“We will give the minister the opportunity to address the most worrying issues and also to come up with proposals for the measures if it is necessary,” he added.

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CAP plans

Meanwhile, the Czech Presidency will oversee a number of key agrifood files, including the adoption of member states’ Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) national strategic plans.

Through these plans, the first drafts of which were submitted to the Commission at the beginning of this year, member states will outline how they intend to meet the nine EU-wide objectives of the CAP reform – but this presents a challenge.

“It will not be an easy one because we have to balance our long-term objectives together with the new challenges, be it Farm to Fork, Fit for 55, or the Biodiversity strategy,” Černikov explained.

The most important thing is to provide EU farmers with “to give them clarity and certainty” including legal certainty, he said.

“This is what will be very important during our presidency. The question, of course, is how to do it, and this is something we as EU member states will try to give an answer to during the political discussions at the AGRIFISH Council meetings,” he said.

Deforestation and pesticides

Other key agrifood issues on the menu will be the discussions on ensuring deforestation-free supply chains.

The Environment Council recently adopted a common negotiating position on the Commission’s proposals, and dialogues are due to get underway under Czechia’s watch, Černikov said.

“We will want to ensure that the EU consumers do not contribute to global deforestation,” he said, adding that, more widely, the Presidency will also look to enhance the EU’s contribution to the protection of forests and also to sustainable forestry.

Meanwhile, following the recent presentation of the Commission’s long-awaited sustainable use of pesticides regulation, pesticides will also be high on the Czech Presidency’s agenda.

Discussions on the issue are already due to begin during the next meeting of EU agriculture ministers on 18 July, with the focus firmly on the “efficient use of pesticides and promoting sustainable production,” according to Černikov.

Sustainable aquaculture

Lastly, fish will also be high on the Czech agenda, not least of which because sustainable aquaculture is dear to the land-locked country’s heart.

According to an overview from the European maritime and fisheries fund, Czech aquaculture production amounts to 20,000 tonnes of freshwater fish per year, representing €40 million in value.

The country is focused on the modernisation of aquaculture farms and ponds via the introduction of new technologies and the implementation of environmentally friendly and resource-efficient farming methods.

Moreover, in the second half of the year, the Presidency will try to reach political agreements for the Baltic Sea, and deep seas and for quotas for the Atlantic and the North Sea, as well as the Mediterranean.

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[Edited by Gerardo Fortuna/Nathalie Weatherald]

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