The European Union’s agricultural policy should remain farmer-friendly and well funded after 2020, Farm Minister István Nagy said on Monday, after talks in Budapest with Phil Hogan, the EU commissioner for agriculture and rural development.

Land-size based direct payments should remain the main element, Nagy told a press conference.

Hogan called Hungary “a key partner” in the bargaining process regarding the Common Agricultural Policy’s (CAP) regulation in the new EU financial cycle between 2021-2027.

The Hungarian minister will be “an important partner” in the coming months, he said.

Today’s talks focused on identifying the challenges, he said, and the most important issues regarding CAP policy after 2020, such as infrastructural development and capacity expansion.

Nagy said that the coming period will determine the funding available for Hungarian farmers in the next EU financial cycle.

The talks were “successful”, he said, adding that Hogan supports the work of Hungarian farmers. The commissioner can also count on Hungary backing his work to secure as much funding for CAP as possible, he said.

CAP is one of the first EU policies to have been implemented and keeping it up is extremely important, he said.

All CAP funding should go directly to farmers, he said.

Featured image: MTI

Source: MTI