On the sidelines of the informal meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers in Mainz, the Portuguese and Slovenian Agriculture Ministers, Jaime Silva and Iztok Jarc, met for trilateral talks under the chairmanship of Horst Seehofer, Federal Minister of Agriculture and President-in-Office of the Agriculture Council of the EU. Portugal and Slovenia will succeed Germany in the EU Council Presidency. Together, they constitute the so-called trio presidency that is intended to achieve a better transition in the policies pursued by the consecutive presidencies.
On the fringes of the meeting, Minister Seehofer stressed the great importance of the trio presidency: "Since this year there has not only been one Member State acting solely in the presidency, but actually three Member States that shape the 18 months together. This is new, creates a better continuity in the EU and strengthens our ability to solve problems - true to the motto of the German Presidency: "Europe – succeeding together.""
Minister Seehofer also took stock and stated his expectations for the time after the end of the German presidency: "For the six months of our German Presidency, we set ourselves as the primary objective the shaping of the common agricultural policy in a reliable, practice-oriented and sustainable manner. Simplification and reduction of bureaucracy are our priorities in the process to make European agriculture competitive and viable for the future. However, my successors in the Council Presidency will have to continue addressing this concern. We would like to recommend this task warmly to Portugal and Slovenia and pledge them our full support."
Both Ministers, Silva and Jarc, also expressed their readiness to continue to cooperate closely with Germany during the team presidency that lasts until the middle of next year. This constitutes a great opportunity for continuing a common work at EU level.
Please find further information on the informal meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers on www.eu2007.de.
