Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu endorses the further allotment of consistent financial resources to the European agricultural sector in the future Common Agricultural Policy, according to a Government release.

The prime minister met at the Victoria Governmental Palace on Monday with European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski. The two officials tackled, among other topics, the future Common Agricultural Policy, the situation of farmers in the context of the challenges generated by the war in Ukraine and food safety.

„In the future Common Agricultural Policy, Romania’s Government endorses the further allotment of consistent financial resources to the European agricultural sector, to protect farmers and to ensure the European Union’s competitiveness on global markets. We need a comprehensive approach taking into account both the economic aspects and the social ones, including the rural development elements. Simplifying the rules and mechanisms of implementing the Common Agricultural Policy is needed, so that it can adapt more easily to unpredicted geopolitical and climate events,” Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said at the meeting.

The prime minister also required that the future Common Agricultural Policy should no longer include differences among the level of subsidies per hectare granted to EU member states.

Romania’s balanced approach, having managed to respond both to the grain transit needs and to the farmers’ requests, in the context of the effects of the war in Ukraine, was commended during the meeting.

„We are further counting on a strong support from the European Commission for the careful monitoring of the trade in agri-food products between the EU and Ukraine, in order to avoid distortions on the European market, which would, implicitly, affect Romanian producers as well,” Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said.

The two officials showed the advantage the EU has worldwide, as greatest world exporter of agricultural produce „must be maintained and conditions must be created for European farmers to be able to further develop their activities.”

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Florin Barbu also participated in the meeting.

AGERPRES