MEP Iuliu Winkler (UDMR, EPP Group) criticizes the lack of commitment evident in the roadmap on the future of agriculture in Europe, published by the European Commission (EC) in February.
“I believe that such a roadmap should be much more concrete and ambitious regarding the simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and, at the same time, it must pay much more attention to international trade,” stated Iuliu Winkler during the debates held on Wednesday in the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA).
Last month, the EC presented the Communication on the Vision for Agriculture and the Food Sector, which is essentially a roadmap for the future of agriculture in Europe.
“European farmers primarily identify the disadvantages arising from the EU’s trade agreements and often oppose these treaties. I believe that, in general, farmers’ objections stem from incomplete information. The unequal competition conditions that farmers complain about also result from the excessive bureaucratic pressure imposed in recent years by new legislation adopted by European institutions. The multitude of environmental conditions, restrictions on the use of agricultural land, and new obligations regarding nature conservation have significantly burdened farmers’ core activity—food production and ensuring food security in the EU,” stated the UDMR MEP.
In his view, protecting farmers from the effects of unfair competition is very important, but equally important is ensuring the competitiveness of EU agriculture and the food industry through internal measures that do not have a protectionist character.
“Reducing bureaucratic pressure, simplifying procedures, and improving the entire framework for implementing the CAP can ensure a stable future for the European agricultural sector. I would like the European roadmap to be more concrete regarding future actions. Additionally, as a member of the EPP Group, I believe I have a duty to highlight the total lack of commitment evident in the document regarding the changes we promised in the 2024 election campaign—namely, the abandonment of the excessive measures in the Green Deal, which are the real source of farmers’ discontent,” Winkler emphasized.
According to him, free trade agreements are not the enemies of European agriculture. “It is enough to mention that the EU is a global leader in high-quality agri-food products, and its trade balance with all its partners in the agri-food sector is favorable to European industries,” the UDMR MEP added for Știrile Transilvaniei.
