The countries of the Vyšehrad Four (V4) met on Tuesday in the Hungarian Balatonfüred in an extended format together with Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia. At a press conference, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, Richard Takáč, emphasized the need for joint action in the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2027. TASR informs about this based on the report of the Department of Communication of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic.
- V4 ministers negotiated together with four other countries.
- The main topic was the reform of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
- The countries request the maintenance of a sufficient budget for agriculture.
- They emphasized the need for more flexible European crisis mechanisms.
- Slovakia takes over the V4 presidency and is preparing for further negotiations.
“Our countries are united by a similar structure of agriculture, similar natural conditions and the same challenges. If we act together, we have a much stronger voice in the European Union in promoting the interests of our farmers, food producers and foresters,” said Takáč.
The participants of the meeting, hosted by the Hungarian Minister of Agriculture and Food Szabolcs Bóna, adopted joint statements. The first, signed by the ministers of the V4 member states – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – together with the representatives of Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, focuses on more effective management of crisis situations in agriculture. The second joint declaration of the V4 countries, Croatia and Romania supports closer cooperation in the field of bio-economy and joint solutions to extreme weather phenomena, especially drought.
They insist on a budget
The main topic of the negotiations was the upcoming reform of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2027. Slovakia, together with its partners, emphasizes the need to maintain a sufficient budget and ensure that financial resources remain allocated directly to the agricultural sector.
“Agriculture today faces climate change, new animal diseases and growing requirements for food security. Without stable and sufficient funding, it will not be possible to manage these challenges. This is why the Common Agricultural Policy must remain a strong priority of the European Union,” emphasized the minister, according to whom Slovakia rejects the mandatory capping of direct payments, supports the preservation of food production as part of the Common Agricultural Policy, greater flexibility of support towards production sectors and adjustment of drawing rules of European funds so that they correspond to the real conditions of investment implementation.
Mechanisms must be more flexible
The minister recalled that the experience of recent years – from foot and mouth to extreme drought – shows the need for faster and more flexible European crisis mechanisms. “If we want to ensure Europe’s food security, we must have not only effective rules in place, but also sufficient financial reserves to deal with crises. This is precisely where we want to look for common European solutions during the Slovak presidency of the V4,” said Takáč.
From July 1, the Slovak Republic takes over the annual presidency of the V4 from Hungary. One of the first negotiations will be the V4+4+1 ministerial conference, which will take place in October in Bratislava. Takač also invited the Italian Minister of Agriculture to it with the aim of expanding cooperation in negotiations on the future of the European agricultural sector.
