An informal meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries of the European Union member states, organized in the context of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union, was held in Bucharest on June 4.
The venue of the event was the Palace of Parliament, the event itself was chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania Petre Dey.
The agenda included extremely relevant and updated topics for Member States in the context of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): agricultural research, innovation and bioeconomics - creating some kind of synergy as a key tool for rural development.
Agricultural research and bioeconomics are key priorities that enable farmers in the EU to comply with the higher standards set by the CAP, especially regarding the environment and climate.
The meeting noted that the efforts of the European Union to support research and innovation are being implemented through the current Horizon 2020 Research Program Framework, Rural Development Policies and the Long-Term Strategy “Strategic Approach to Agricultural Research and Innovation in the EU”.
The discussions highlighted the relevance of sound policies and related tools to provide farmers with the knowledge and results of these studies.
The meeting also reaffirmed the need for the renewal in the new Common Agricultural Policy to make it more important to create an existing system of agricultural knowledge and innovation (ACIS), cooperation and integration of the primary sector in bioeconomic value chains to ensure sustainable development.
