Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, had a series of important interventions during the Agrifish Council held in Brussels, addressing issues related to trade in agriculture and strategic dialogue.

During his interventions, the minister emphasized that Romania supported the measures promoted by the EU to support the agri-food sector in Ukraine. However, the current context requires finding medium and long-term solutions, redirecting Ukraine's agri-food exports to third markets that have the greatest need to ensure food security, thereby avoiding market disruption in the EU.

European farmers are already facing the serious effects of input price inflation, repeated droughts, and the inability to recover investments and achieve minimal profits, situations that are already leading to bankruptcy.

Amid these issues, Romanian farmers express their dissatisfaction and assert their rights through protests, and their demands have been communicated to the Commission.

In the context of the Ukraine-EU trade relationship, Minister Barbu considered essential the following points, taking into account all AAC (Agricultural Advisory Council) demands:

1. Securing solidarity corridors for transit operations and systematic monitoring by the European Commission of commercial flows from Ukraine by April 30, 2024.Creating and implementing a system ensuring destination identification for all agricultural products from Ukraine before entering the EU territory, both transit and special or temporary import.The monitoring system should be transparent and focus on weighing agricultural products and entering quantities into the system at entry and exit from member states or, at the destination, if within a member state.Agricultural products from Ukraine on EU territory should be accompanied by electronic seals, monitored in real-time via GPS during transport from entry to exit from member states or to the destination within a member state.
2. Creating and implementing a system ensuring destination identification for all agricultural products from Ukraine before entering the EU territory, both transit and special or temporary import.
3. The monitoring system should be transparent and focus on weighing agricultural products and entering quantities into the system at entry and exit from member states or, at the destination, if within a member state.
4. Agricultural products from Ukraine on EU territory should be accompanied by electronic seals, monitored in real-time via GPS during transport from entry to exit from member states or to the destination within a member state.
5. Temporary suspension of imports for agricultural goods with a food self-sufficiency rate of over 100% in member states.
6. Introduction of import thresholds for any agricultural goods, thresholds calculated as an annual or quarterly average for the years 2021-2024.
7. Compliance with European sanitary, veterinary, and phytosanitary standards to ensure food safety for EU citizens.

In the context of the extension of the Ukraine framework and the serious issues faced by Romanian farmers, who continue their protests, Romania reiterated its previously expressed request for a derogation from GAEC 7 and 8, emphasizing that this request had the support of 15 EU member states.

The Romanian official underscored that these extremely important meetings aim to find solutions for European farmers facing an unprecedented situation since the implementation of the first CAP, given that their activity is severely affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

Regarding strategic dialogue, the Romanian Minister of Agriculture highlighted the following themes:

1. Creating increased flexibility in adapting/modifying CAP strategic plans based on current challenges faced by farmers.
2. Identifying all support elements to stimulate the economic development of farmers to cope with fundamental challenges, even in rural areas in Romania.
3. Integrating competitiveness in the agricultural sector as a top priority in the CAP and proposing concrete measures to achieve it concurrently with simplifying environmental and climate requirements.
4. Identifying solutions to allow member states to achieve environmental targets without imposing reductions in areas dedicated to agricultural production (i.e., applying GAEC 8) without jeopardizing EU food security and farmers' economic security.

Romania maintains its position that this derogation is mandatory.

"Commissioner, I draw your attention to the fact that six months have passed since we requested a response from the Commission. This response has not come, despite a positive vote from 15 member states. Our farmers' dissatisfaction is real and is already being manifested on the streets throughout the European Union.

If we do not understand that our farmers need real support, not additional obstacles to obtaining production, we can all resign from the positions we hold. Including you, Commissioner!

This is the mandate I have from my farmers, and I cannot ignore it!" Minister Barbu affirmed.