EU Presidency on agriculture: Hungarian government wants competitive, crisis-resistant and sustainable agricultural sector

The Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union strives to create a competitive, crisis-resistant, sustainable, farmer-friendly and knowledge-based agricultural sector, the agriculture minister said in Luxembourg on Monday.

How to achieve a competitive, crisis-resilient and sustainable agriculture?

Speaking to the media ahead of the Environment Council’s meeting, István Nagy said the meeting will focus on sustainability, underlining the contribution of sustainable farming and forestry to achieving the EU’s climate targets.

Nagy said the council would also have to establish a joint position on biodiversity for the United Nations’ COP16 conference, which will be held between October 21 and November 1 in Colombia.

The minister said he would also brief the council on progress on an agreement concerning the protection of cetaceans, and ministers would discuss agreements regarding desertification and droughts.

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Hungarian EU presidency

Anikó Raisz, the state secretary for the environment and circular economy, noted that the priorities of the Hungarian EU presidency were centered around competitiveness and environmental protection goals. These, she said, included preventing further pollution, preserving biodiversity, and taking the necessary steps concerning climate change.

Raisz said that today, the environment ministers will also discuss preparations for next month’s COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan and the INC-5 session in South Korea.

The state secretary said the council would also review the EU’s chemical strategy and formulate guidelines for the next steps.

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