Commissioner Hansen
Good afternoon, and first of all, let me wish you a happy new year! I am glad to see that so many of you faced the snow to be here today.
And I can say the same of all ministers, who rallied at such short notice to discuss the future and competitiveness of our agriculture sector.
I have said it many times and I will continue saying it: farming and the agri-food sector are essential for our European sovereignty and strategic autonomy.
And the Common Agricultural Policy is our core instrument to support farmers.
It is our longest standing common policy. It has evolved over years to adapt to new challenges and needs: from climate change to societal demands.
In the future CAP, farmers income support is safeguarded and guaranteed.
In addition to the minimum €300 billion ring-fenced for farmers in the next budget, we proposed to dedicate at least 10% of resources of each National and Regional partnership Plan to rural development. This represents close to €49 billion. This amount can reach almost €63 billion if we also count the Catalyst Loan. And let me stress again that Member States can always allocate even more money from the Partnership Plan.
Yesterday, we also proposed to Member States to mobilise an additional €45 billion to support farmers and rural communities. This would be additional money coming towards agriculture and farmers.
Lets also not forget that the agri-food sector will also benefit from the European Competitiveness Fund and the Research programme with €40 billion dedicated to biotech, bioeconomy, health and agriculture.
From the beginning we have set out to ensure predictable income support for farmers.
We listened to concerns and we delivered.
We presented our ambitions and programme for the agri-food sector in the Vision for agriculture and food almost one year ago.
Competitive, sustainable, resilient and fair. These are our objectives for the food and farming sector and this is what we started putting in place last year.
I worked for a fairer food supply chain and to make generational renewal of farmers a political priority.
We delivered several simplification packages for the agricultural sector: on the CAP but also on food safety issues and environmental legislation, led by my colleagues Oliver Várhelyi and Jessika Roswall.
We will continue our work in that regard. In the coming months, I will hold, together with Jessika Roswall, an implementation dialogue with the farming community to discuss the Water framework Directive, the Nature Directive and the Nitrates Directive. This is directly responding to the call to consider the cumulative impact and proportionality of these rules on our farmers.
In the Vision, we also introduced the principle that no substances banned in the EU should come back via imported products. This is very important to ensure reciprocity and fair treatment for our producers. This must be done in full respect of our trade partners, and this is why we launched an impact assessment to consider all implications before taking legal action.
My colleagues Maroš Šefčovič and Olivér Várhelyi will tell you more about our work to ensure stronger reciprocity and protect our farmers, notably in relation to the high costs of fertilisers.
I also want to thank Minister Panayiotou for co-hosting this meeting with us, and I wish her best of luck for the Presidency! It is off to a strong start.
Thank you.
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Commissioner Šefčovič
Let me add a few remarks from a trade perspective, with one clear objective in mind: safeguarding the global competitiveness of the EU agri-food sector.
I have briefed Ministers on our work to lower fertiliser costs and support the domestic fertiliser industry, particularly given persistently high energy prices.
Keeping fertilisers affordable is vital for farmers incomes and Europes food security, which requires both diversifying supply sources and reinforcing our own production capacity.
While prices have stabilised, fertiliser costs remain around 60 percent higher than in 2020. That is simply not sustainable.
This is why the Commission is putting forward an additional, targeted response.
We will propose to temporarily suspend the remaining MFN tariffs on ammonia, urea and – where necessary – other fertilisers. Robust safeguards will ensure that this relief is well-targeted and that its benefits flow directly to farmers.
The measure can enter into force swiftly, in 2026, and its impact would broadly offset the costs linked to the CBAM that took effect this January.
We will also issue guidance on a new measure - proposed by the Commission in Dec 2025 and which needs to be approved by the co-legislators – that would allow for a temporary suspension of CBAM on certain goods, such as fertilizers, should the market monitoring indicate unforeseen circumstances.
We will continue to monitor fertiliser prices closely, including through the Fertilisers Market Observatory.
Looking ahead, the Commission will present a Fertiliser Action Plan in the second quarter of this year. The focus will be on greater market transparency and on scaling up recycled nutrients and alternative inputs, supported by regulatory adjustments where needed.
Overall, trade is a powerful way to cut costs. And free trade agreements are a strategic necessity.
Let me be absolutely clear: EU agriculture is already a global export powerhouse.
In 2024, our agri-food exports reached 235 billion euros – up 3 percent year on year – delivering a 64-billion-euro surplus.
Trade supports three million jobs across the EU agri-food sector – one job in four.
That is why keeping markets open through EU trade agreements makes strong business sense.
I can assure that farmers concerns are not an afterthought in our trade policy – they are central.
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