The Ministers of Agriculture of Spain and France, Luis Planas and Annie Genevard, respectively, have signed a joint declaration highlighting the role of food, agriculture, and livestock as essential elements of Europe’s strategic autonomy and security.
Madrid, (EFEAGR) – Spain and France consider it essential to preserve the community character of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to guarantee the food sufficiency of the European Union and to avoid introducing divergences that could create obstacles to the proper functioning of the internal market.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain, Luis Planas, and the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry of France, Annie Genevard, have signed a joint declaration that strengthens agricultural cooperation between both countries and highlights the importance of the agricultural sector for the EU economy.
The Ministry reported in a statement that this meeting coincides with the State visit made by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to Spain.
Spain and France have maintained a reinforced and privileged bilateral cooperation for “many” years in areas such as the defense of the CAP, plant and animal health, dialogue through joint committees on fruits, vegetables, and viticulture, and the defense of agricultural specificities in outermost regions (POSEI program), among others.
The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz since March is having a “strong impact” on agricultural costs, especially in the case of fertilizers and fuel, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA).
France and Spain have reaffirmed the importance of food, agriculture, and livestock as essential components of Europe’s long-term strategic autonomy and security.
In this context, in their joint declaration, France and Spain have reaffirmed the importance they attach to food, agriculture, and livestock as essential components of Europe’s long-term strategic autonomy, sovereignty, and security.
Furthermore, they have committed to working together in the final stage of negotiations for the next CAP so that it emerges strengthened with a budget that is “sufficient and up to” the challenges facing the agricultural sector.
They believe that the CAP must remain a strategic European policy for the future and must be capable of meeting society’s expectations and strengthening the European integration project.
To achieve this, it must feature a series of measures that ensure the maintenance of agricultural income and rural territories, support farmers through incentivizing agro-environmental and climate actions, and maintain a Common Market Organization (CMO) adapted to the needs of the agricultural sectors.
In the joint declaration, the ministers of France and Spain also explained that agriculture and agri-food—and in particular the challenges arising from climate change for these activities—must be strengthened in all European mechanisms, including the future European Competitiveness Fund and Horizon Europe, while also voicing their support for an agricultural POSEI program for the outermost regions.
