From May 3rd to 5th, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Juris Zīvarts will participate in the informal meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, where discussions will focus on risk management in agriculture and the review of the Common Fisheries Policy.
The agricultural sector is exposed to various unpredictable risks, including weather fluctuations, plant and animal diseases, as well as market disruptions. Latvia will therefore stress the need to ensure that farmers have access to instruments that allow them to prepare for potential crises, while also ensuring that Member States can quickly access additional EU funding in the event of natural disasters or significant market disruptions. At the same time, Latvia will emphasise that such support should be provided as additional funding rather than redirected from funds allocated under the National and Regional Partnership (NRP) Plan, so as not to jeopardise the achievement of the established Common Agricultural Policy objectives.
In the fisheries sector, the European Commission plans to review the Common Fisheries Policy by the end of April. Latvia will emphasise that the main objective of the reform should be to significantly simplify the regulatory framework and reduce the administrative and financial burden on fishers and businesses operating in the sector.
The informal Council meeting will take place in Cyprus, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU.