Agata GALIŃSKA

Policy topics Agata GALIŃSKA is active on

What Agata GALIŃSKA has said (4)

• “Thank you very much, chair. Good morning, honourable members, ladies and gentlemen. I would also like to thank Madame Emlinger for the presentation of the study, which she delivered earlier in a very clear way. So it's a pleasure for us for the Commission to be invited to this exchange today. Um, as you will surely remember, it's it's back in March that the Commission has presented to this committee, but also to agree as well as in the plenary. Um, The vision for Agriculture and Food, which was adopted in February this year, and indeed the increased uncertainty of the international context and the international environment which we are living through today confirms the relevance of this vision. So it's in that context that I welcome very much the exchange today, which we find very interesting. We see that it does contribute to this new way of working in order to implement that vision, which is very helpful in order to depolarize the debate around the future of agriculture. And if I may make a mention here, several of you have referred to the Common Agricultural Policy. So indeed, in the next months already, we will have the pleasure of engaging Commission, Parliament and the Council in the discussions on the shape of the policy after 2027. So some of the discussions which are taking place today could also be addressed in that process of of reform of the of the RCEp, which is coming up, um, in relation to the study. So I'm very pleased to note that the study actually touches on many, many aspects which are, um, picked up in the vision.”
  Direct payments to farmers (pillar 1)
• “This would entail work towards a better alignment in respect with international WTO rules of domestic production standards and those which are applied to imports, and this is in particular for pesticides and animal welfare. And indeed, I took note of some of your comments that cooperation with our trade partners, as well as international organizations, should be the right approach. I would also like to make a point in relation to import dependencies and the issue of de-risking of supply chains, which is very important. It's also one of the recommendations of the study. And this is also one of our critical areas of of division. The Commission intends to develop a comprehensive plan to address strategic dependencies and de-risking supply chains for protein supply, as well as to take action to reduce dependencies on imported raw materials and fertilizers. There was also a mention of fertilizers in the debate earlier. Finally, I'd like to mention the Unity Safety net, which is one of the new approaches presented in division, which the Commission intends to develop this year, which will which will help to protect the EU, the Member States and the sectors from unilateral unlawful actions Against um. Against them. Um, this is a very this discussion is a very interesting contribution to the implementation of the vision. So I appreciate the invitation to be part of this. Thank you very much for your attention, and I'll be looking forward to hearing the comments of Madame Emlinger to end the discussion. Thank you.”
  Import of agri-food products in the EU
• “There is we see quite some convergence in terms of the main work streams, which are proposed in the vision and the recommendations of the study. So of course, that's that's very good news. This is appreciated. Um, the vision is about outlining a roadmap, a roadmap for an attractive competitive future, proof and fair agri food system which would serve current and future generations in Europe. And the approach is organized around four priority areas, starting with building an attractive sector which ensures a fair standard of living and leverages new income opportunities. A competitive and resilient sector in the face of global challenges, a future proof sector which works hand in hand with nature, and the sector which values food and offers fair living and working conditions in vibrant rural areas. In addition, as as as you probably know very well, the vision comes with a strong message on simplification as well as on innovation and research. And I heard very well the comments and the recommendations made in the study, as well as comments of, I think, almost all of the speakers in the room on the need to simplify the policy. These are also elements which are picked up on in, uh, in the vision. Indeed, in terms of simplification progress, some progress has been made already last year with the first simplification simplification package. And indeed, you know that today the Commission is proposing a comprehensive simplification package, which then should be followed by a cross-cutting simplification package concerning other policy areas than the Cap which do have a which do affect farmers and agri food industry.”
  Agriculture (green)
• “Now a few comments on trade specific aspects. So it's always good to remind ourselves that EU's total exports are um are have reached €235 billion. That's numbers for 2024. And imports were at €172 billion, which of course makes the EU the largest agri food exporter globally. The trade surplus that the EU has in the last years has been larger than the trade surplus of Brazil. It's important to keep in mind, and of course, EU is also one of the top importers. Um, these elements are also recognised in the study. And some of the comments that I've heard in the room that indeed international trade is an important, a very important pillar for our sector. For the agri food sector in the EU. And it is important for the prosperity, resilience and competitiveness of the sector. The EU indeed trades with a very broad range of partners. We export and import quite a diversified basket of products. But yes, international trade does come with challenges. And some of those challenges were also reflected in your comments in order to address some of these challenges. The vision has an ambition to build a competitive and resilient sector, including by strengthening our international partnerships with a view to raise standards globally as well as to enforce our existing trade agreements.”
  Free trade agreements (FTAs) · Export of EU agri-food products