The minister of agriculture, Florin Barbu, requested on Thursday, at the European Congress of Farmers, which is taking place these days in Bucharest, the organization of a referendum at European level through which farmers should decide whether the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should remain structured on the two important pillars and be separated from other European funds after 2027.

„I launched a challenge to the president of COPA-COGECA: to organize a joint referendum. Basically, the farmers must give a clear vote on this referendum, so that the Common Agricultural Policy remains separate from other funds that are allocated to each state, after 2027. We want to maintain the two pillars, FEADR and FEGA, respectively the part of investments in agriculture, but also the part of direct payments in agriculture,” stated Florin Barbu.

He mentioned that, if no decision is taken on „this challenge” launched by COPA-COGECA – the European structure representing the interests of farmers and cooperatives – he will request the organization of a referendum in Romania, and the result will be presented in the AgriFish Council of Ministers.

„If a decision is not taken at COPA-COGECA level, next week I will request and have a meeting with the agricultural associations in Romania, but also with independent legal entities for the realization of this referendum in Romania. I will goes to the Agrifish Council with the direct vote of the farmers, so that the Common Agricultural Policy in the European Union will remain after 2027 as it was until now, separated from other European funds and with the two important pillars: FEADR for the development of the vegetable, animal husbandry, the food industry and FEGA for direct payments,” emphasised Barbu.

The head of MADR explained that after 2027, the EC’s intentions are to include the Common Agricultural Policy in all the funds allocated to each member state.

According to the same source, the date of such a referendum or the questions will be determined after consultations with farmers and associative forms, in case the decision of the organization at the level of the European structure will not be taken.

More than 500 representative farmers from Europe at the European Congress of Farmers, which takes place in Bucharest, between October 23-25, 2024.

The event is organized by the European structure representing the interests of farmers and COPA-COGECA cooperatives once every two years in a member state, being the one that will give the exact time for the strategy that European farmers want to be implemented in the agri-food sector in the EU.

AGERPRES