The Trio Presidency’s meeting was held today in Warsaw. At the invitation of Minister Siekierski, the talks were attended by the Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark Jacob Jensen and the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of Cyprus Maria Panayiotou.

Inauguration of the Trio Presidency

Today’s meeting inaugurated cooperation within the Poland-Denmark-Cyprus Trio Presidency. On 1 January 2025, Poland will take the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

In accordance with the Lisbon Treaty, the Member States which hold the Presidency in succession work closely together in groups of three, and each trio determines long-term objectives and prepares a common programme of topics and issues to be dealt with by the Council for 18 months.

This is our common trio for the second time. The previous one was in 2011.

Heritage of European agriculture

During the press conference after the completion of the first round of today’s talks, the Ministers pointed out that European agriculture was diversified and therefore the two pillars of the Common Agricultural Policy should be preserved.

– This diversity should serve to strengthen the European Union, its food security, also in the external dimension – stressed the Polish Minister.

The most important challenges

The Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark Jacob Jensen stressed the importance of the competitiveness of EU agriculture.

– We have to be competitive. We have to do everything more effectively so as to enable farmers to develop, and food security is a very important part of our programme – stated Minister Jensen.

The Minister for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment of Cyprus Maria Panayiotou highlighted the importance of profitability in agricultural production, particularly in the context of more and more frequent crises.

– Combating crises is our day-to-day reality. Reducing profitability means reducing the attractiveness of the agricultural sector, and this threatens food security – emphasised Minister Panayiotou.

Minister Siekierski informed about the need to consult with farmers the solutions proposed with regard to the Common Agricultural Policy.

– During the Presidency, we will conduct all our activities in dialogue with farmers – assured the Polish Minister.

Role of the Presidency

– The role of the Presidency of the Council of the EU is very responsible and we treat this task with the utmost seriousness and ambition – stressed Minister Czesław Siekierski.

The head of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture announced that the main goal of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU would be to improve the competitiveness of agriculture and the agri-food sector and to increase the resilience to crises. The Minister also announced that in mid-December he would present details of the activities for the next 6 months.