The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, proposed to the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, on Friday, the establishment of a new instrument to manage crises in agriculture caused by extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods.

In statements following their meeting, which took place at the Ministry of Agriculture, in Nicosia, Panayiotou noted that the Commissioner’s visit came at a critical time for Cypriot agriculture, which is experiencing one of the worst drought periods in its history.

As she explained, during the meeting she briefed the Commissioner on the current situation and the measures being taken by the government to mitigate the effects of the drought on agricultural production and farmers’ incomes, and requested the EU’s support in this effort.

She referred to her proposal to the Commissioner for “the creation of a new instrument to address crises in agriculture caused by extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods. Our proposal involves the establishment of a simplified mechanism for the immediate provision of aid to affected farmers, so they can continue to produce”, the Minister said. She added that it is the government’s position that the funding for this mechanism should come from the broader EU budget, and expressed her intention to submit this proposal at one of the upcoming Agriculture Ministers’ Councils in Brussels.

Panayiotou stressed that the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is particularly important for Cyprus, as it is the main policy tool for the primary sector. “Cyprus’ position on the new CAP is aligned with that of most member states, particularly Mediterranean ones. We are calling for a simplified policy, with adequate and independent funding, which will take into account the local specificities of the member states,” she emphasized.

Additionally, she noted the equally significant role of the CAP in forming a common European strategy for generational renewal in the agricultural sector. “Young people need access to land and financial incentives, because without them, there is no future for our agriculture,” she said.

The Minister also said that she informed the Commissioner about the preliminary objectives of the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, which will focus on two pillars: people as farmers, producers, and consumers, and the natural environment, both as a living space and a source of food production.

On his part, Commissioner Hansen said that the water scarcity that Cyprus is experiencing is a major issue for other Mediterranean countries as well. He highlighted that the €450 million annual reserve he is in charge of, to deal with challenges such as floods, forest fires, droughts “is not sufficient and I was happy that I could help Cyprus with a €3.5 million support package.”

As he said, alternative solutions must be considered. “We have to develop a water resilience strategy, and I am working very closely with my colleague Jessika Roswall (Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy) because the problem is getting ever bigger, and extreme weather events are getting bigger and more frequent,” he noted.

Regarding CAP simplification, Commissioner Hansen said that two weeks ago, he presented the first simplification package.