The need for improvements in the Strategic Plan of the new CAP with the aim of simplifying the mechanism for the benefit of farmers, emphasized the Minister of Rural Development and Food Lefteris Avgenakis, at the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries held in Brussels. At the same time, referring to the rural mobilizations, he stated that solutions emerge only through dialogue.

As Mr. Avgenakis noted, aiming to eliminate the suffering of farmers, the aid absorption system must be simplified, made simpler and more functional, so that they collect the money that the community ensures for them in a specific time.

In particular, with regard to the mobilization of farmers, the Minister of Rural Development and Food pointed out in his statements to ERT that he follows “with interest the movements of farmers in our country. I have full insight into the different requests that arrive. We are ready to discuss with anyone, something we have never refused anyway. Dialogue and real and honest discussion unites, but above all provides solutions. And we are open to that.”

In relation to tomorrow’s EUMED 9 meeting, (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus), which is being held for the first time, at the initiative of Greece, that “after a very great effort by our country tomorrow we manage to organize the first meeting of the allies of southern Europe”.

As he pointed out, “we put three main issues on the agenda: first, the climate crisis and the need to improve the mechanisms available to the Community. Second, fruitlessness and downy mildew and finally, invasive fish, an issue that concerns fishermen. We hope that through these alliances, we will initially find common ground and points of claim towards the EU. The aim is to continue these regular meetings of the nine countries of the South, highlighting the different issues that concern Southern Europe compared to Central and Northern Europe”.

At the same time, regarding the improvements in the CAP, he pointed out that “the climate crisis has now forced the opening of a debate, on agricultural policy, at the level of the European Union, which we must follow in the next period. Greece is taking the lead in this initiative in conjunction with the necessary improvements that must be made in the new CAP, in the mechanism, in the process.”

“It must really be simplified, so as to alleviate or stop the suffering for thousands of farmers on the one hand and on the other hand to increase the speed of the mechanisms. There is an imperative need for both to happen in a harmonious way, in a way that will help the people in the primary sector to live more comfortably, to function with more ease and above all to collect the money that the community ensures for them in a specific time” he concluded Lefteris Avgenakis.