Margaritis Schinas, Minister of Rural Development and Food, Margaritis Schinas, sent a message to restart the primary sector.
“We are building a new national contract for the primary sector, a new national start for Greek agriculture,” he stressed at the event held on the occasion of the launch of the national dialogue in view of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
At the same time, the minister stressed the importance of broad participation and institutional cooperation, stressing that the dialogue launched today is a crucial tool for shaping national positions.
Key national priorities
The Minister of Agriculture presented the key national priorities for the new production model, emphasizing:
– support for young and newly farmers, with the aim of addressing the demographic problem in rural areas,
– the fair support of income, with emphasis on small and medium-sized farms,
– the improvement of the sector’s competitiveness,
– strengthening cooperativism and inter-professional organisations,
– sustainable management of natural resources, in particular water,
– adaptation to climate change and strengthening the resilience of the sector.
As he underlined, these objectives are part of a broader effort to reconstruct the primary sector, with a clear strategic orientation.
In this context, he called on all stakeholders to actively contribute to the formulation of national positions, stressing that the success of the effort requires cooperation, understanding and shared responsibility.
On the European front, the Minister highlighted the importance of the upcoming negotiations, which he described as particularly demanding, given the international and geopolitical circumstances. As he pointed out, it is an “extremely complex” process, which is taking place in a “highly unstable international and geopolitical environment”.
In this context, he stressed the need for Greece to establish a strong and credible presence in the negotiations, noting that “our country’s voice must be heard loudly in Brussels”, which presupposes the creation of “a capital of credibility and trust” that will strengthen the country’s negotiating power.
Resource efficiency is needed
Mr Schinas also referred extensively to the new architecture of the European agricultural policy, noting that the proposal for the new Multiannual Financial Framework differs substantially from the past, as it is not a mere continuation, but attempts to respond to new challenges. He stressed that the issue is no longer just the amount of resources, but their effectiveness. “It is what we pay for with this money, rather than what we would like to be paid for, that matters,”he clarified.
Referring to the content of the new CAP, the minister pointed out that its success will be judged by its substance and not by the schemes, stressing that “the new CAP will be judged by the extent to which it can respond to the essential problems of producers and rural areas.”
In conclusion, the minister reiterated that the negotiation of the new CAP is a historic opportunity for the country, stressing that through dialogue and the collective elaboration of policy options, the foundations can be laid for a new, sustainable and competitive production model for Greek agriculture.
It is noted that welcome address was given by the Vice President of the Government, Kostis Hatzidakis, while the chairman of the Inter-party Parliamentary Committee for the Primary Sector made interventions in the introductory part, Yannis Economou, the Secretary General for Agricultural Policy and International Relations, Antonis Filippis and the Secretary General for Union Resources and Infrastructure, Argyro Zerva. This was followed by specialised presentations by Costis Mousouroulis, advisor to the Vice Presidency of the Government on the Multiannual Financial Framework, and Petros Angelopoulos, member of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development.
