On Wednesday, December 10th, in Brussels, during a meeting with Members of the European Parliament, Minister for Agriculture Armands Krauze highlighted several critically important issues of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the context of the EU multiannual budget for the next EU planning period 2028–2034.
Armands Krauze: “Latvia strongly objects to the inclusion of the Common Agricultural Policy within a single national and regional partnership plan and fund, as this will diminish the strategic importance of the agriculture and food production sectors and will endanger the ability to provide stable support to farmers.
Moreover, this is in stark contrast to the common objective of EU Member States — the simplification of agricultural policy. It is also unacceptable that funding for agriculture, a strategically important sector, is being continuously reduced, and this is happening at a moment when farmers are facing increasingly stricter environmental and climate requirements.”
During the discussion, the Minister also noted that the future CAP proposed by the European Commission lacks two essential elements.
First, “The numbers speak for themselves — inequality among EU Member States is only increasing. In Latvia’s case — in 2028 we will receive support amounting to only 74% of the EU average. Therefore, the EU must finally take a decision to ensure that, as of 2028, every EU Member State receives at least 90% of the EU average support per hectare,” emphasized the Minister for Agriculture.
Second, it is clear that the Eastern border countries will not be able to co-finance the CAP to the same level as the wealthier Member States. In the context of the current geopolitical situation, the priority for the Eastern border countries is defense and security, and therefore they will have limited capacity to provide support for agriculture equivalent to that in the wealthier EU countries.
“Agriculture is a highly complex sector that depends not only on political decisions, but also on climate, and it is vital for every inhabitant of the world. Therefore, we reiterate — the Common Agricultural Policy must remain a separate, targeted EU policy with adequate funding. This is not the right time for compromises that could potentially weaken this sector, which is strategically important for the lives citizens,” said Minister for Agriculture Armands Krauze.