The restoration of the damages caused by the devastating fires that hit our country the previous period is a priority of the government as mentioned by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis, in his intervention at informal Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries held in Cordoba, Spain.

He emphasized that every possibility offered through the National Strategic Plan of the CAP, which must be based on two principles, will be utilized:

* Flexibility against bureaucracy and

* the balance between immediate needs and long-term goals.

Speaking of “new technologies as a tool for a more climate-resilient agriculture“, the Greek minister noted that the present and future of production is linked to scientific progress, adding that “increasing the sustainability and resilience of European agriculture can only be a one-way street”.

At the same time, he emphasized that “innovation is the key to sustainable food systems and the technological upgrade of the agri-food sector is the catalyst for the green transition” while “the production of more with less is not a contradiction but a great challenge for the European agriculture”.

He added that innovation is the driver of the competitiveness and resilience of European agriculture and underlined that “what is needed are plants of high nutritional value for consumers, which can better adapt to changing climate conditions”.

Regarding the implementation of the Strategic Plan, Mr. Avgenakis said that “it is a process, which must be constantly adapted to the new conditions” pointing out that the drought and the devastating fires have upset the balances and the agricultural planning in the various regions of Greece.

Speaking about the CAP visa, the Minister of Rural Development and Food emphasized that it should be based on two principles. “First flexibility over bureaucracy and second a balance between immediate needs and long-term goals,” he said.

According to the announcement by the FSA, after the Informal Meeting, Mr. Avgenakis publicly thanked his European colleagues for the solidarity they showed towards our country during the natural disasters. “I want to say a big thank you on behalf of Greece to all my European counterparts, because their contribution, their solidarity was a catalyst. The new CAP must evolve, it must be upgraded and above all it must work for the benefit of farmers with greater flexibility. To stay longer on the problems that constantly appear in the foreground, with priority to farmers and breeders” he said among other things and added: “Greece may have gone up three levels in terms of innovation, however, we are not satisfied, we want even more. Innovation must enter more into the field of agricultural production, intelligent agriculture. We must work in cooperation with all the institutions, but also with all my counterparts in this direction. Europe must go higher, it must go better, making use of all the possibilities it has.”