Fight drought on European level, agriculture minister tells EU

The threat of drought should be tackled on a European level, through innovation, technology, investments, political will and cooperation, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou told an informal council meeting in Budapest.

The informal council of EU agriculture ministers focused on the future of the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP), with the aim of formulating a competitive agriculture sector, resilient to crises, viable and friendly towards farmers.

The meeting, held from September 8 to 10 discussed the top priorities of CAP beyond 2027.

Panayiotou pointed out the need to simply and reduce bureaucracy around CAP, so that it was more effective and manageable for farmers, adding that all member states should have flexible strategic aims within CAP, so that they could address the new challenges, such as climate change and crisis management.

The minister also referred to positions outlined by MED9, which met recently in Cyprus, saying that a holistic approach would secure cohesion in all legislative procedures for water supply and addressing water shortage in the primary sector.

The threat of drought, she said, should be tackled on a European level, through innovation, technology, investments, political will and cooperation.