The HPK notes in a press release that the working meeting focused on the EU's agriculture policy and the importance of family farms. The importance of maintaining family farms' prospects and supporting young farmers was particularly underlined with regard to negotiations on the new EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021 - 2027.
Commissioner Wojciechowski said, as he did at a meeting held earlier in the day with members of the parliamentary Agriculture Committee, that the successful implementation of the new programme period for the Common Agriculture Policy would depend on strategic plans by member states, including Croatia.
He spoke about the reduced budget for agriculture but stressed that he would fight for agriculture funding to be increased, the HPK said in its press release.
A reduction in the common budget impacts all member states. Croatia's presidency of the Council of the EU is an opportunity to strengthen the budget. We have a new situation due to the Commission's current priority, the European Green Deal. That is the reason why we have more obligations toward farmers, hence we are seeking more from them than before. That is a good reason for us to seriously think about the ways to increase the budget and make it appropriate for European farmers, Wojciechowski underscored.
HPK president Mladen Jakopovic said it was necessary to do something with regard to exchanging experiences of good farming practices with other EU member states concerning protection of land and land purchases, from which Croatia could benefit.
Jakopovic asked Commissioner Wojciechowski several questions, including whether the EC would take Croatia's specificities into account, primarily the fact that Croatia experienced a war, is the youngest EU member, was not well prepared for membership and its accession took place in the context of the global economic crisis and introduction of economic sanctions against Russia.
"We believe that Croatian farmers can expect you to fight for our specific situation. There are unfair trade practices throughout the EU, including Croatia. By the same token, new trade agreements will lead to our market being flooded with commodities from around the world at lower prices. All these are practices where farmers are poorly protected," Jakopovic underlined.
He added that depopulation was still a huge problem and not only in Croatia and that it needed to be resolved.
Representatives of some of the large agricultural companies expressed concern that restrictions in subsidies would negatively affect larger producers and their competitiveness in the EU while Commissioner Wojciechowski underscored that the EU needed large producers too but that it was necessary to protect small and medium-sized producers, the HPK said in its press release.
Today's meeting was organised by the Agriculture Ministry and the HPK, and 12 farmers were invited to the event.