Ensuring generational renewal in farming was the focus of the informal meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers held in Sofia

Photo: Oleg Popov (EU2018BG)

Ensuring generational renewal in farming was the focus of the informal meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers held in Sofia on 4-5 June 2018. In the context of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2020, the Ministers discussed challenges related to the aging of the agricultural labour population and to rural depopulation.

"Generation renewal is extremely important for all farmers in the EU, for the future of the European agricultural sector and for the society as a whole. The aim is to seek effective solutions for attracting young people into the agricultural sector", said the Bulgarian Minister for Agriculture Rumen Porodzanov, who chaired the meeting. He underlined that the successful implementation of the process of generational renewal is a key factor for ensuring a sustainable, competitive and prosperous farming sector.

On 21 May 2018, the Presidency circulated a discussion paper that highlighted the importance of ensuring generational renewal, while indicating the support tools that are available to young farmers under the CAP in the current programming period.

In this regard, Ministers emphasised the need to increase the effectiveness and development of the current tools used to support young farmers in the context of the CAP after 2020, while taking into consideration the national and regional specificities of individual Member States.

"Undoubtedly, starting a debate on this subject is necessary and timely," Minister Porodzanov underlined.

During the informal meeting, the Ministers had the opportunity to discuss for the first time the European Commission’s initial legislative proposals for the CAP after 2020. The official presentation to the Council of the EU will be held at the last meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries formation under the Bulgarian Presidency on 18 June 2018 in Luxembourg.