MOF, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 505: Invitation fra det kroatiske parlaments landbrugsudvalg til interparlamentarisk konference: “Contribution of national parliaments to improving the Common Agricultural Policy, d. 25/9-2023 i Zagreb

Miljø- og Fødevareudvalget 2022-23 (2. samling)
MOF Alm.del Bilag 505
Offentligt

INTERPARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON THE “CONTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL

PARLIAMENTS TO IMPROVING THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY”

Croatian Parliament, Zagreb, 25 September 2023

BACKGROUND NOTE

Marking the tenth anniversary of Croatia’s

membership in the European Union,

the Agriculture

Committee of the Croatian Parliament is organizing an inter-parliamentary Conference aimed

at reviewing the importance and value of the instruments of the

Common Agricultural Policy

(CAP),

and this policy’s influence

on the competitiveness of agriculture in the member states,

on the preservation of rural areas, on generational renewal and on sustainable use of natural

resources. This review will be based on the implementation of the CAP achieved thus far and

on the new rules that the member states have incorporated into their national

CAP Strategic

Plans,

as well as on the experiences, good practices and challenges that the CAP brings to the

EU member states. With this in mind, we have selected for the Conference three topics relevant

for the future of European agriculture, wishing to offer an opportunity to the representatives of

the competent working bodies of national parliaments of the EU member states and of the

countries of the Alps-Adriatic-Danube region that are not members of the EU to present their

views thereon.

The first debate will focus on the challenges and opportunities of the CAP in the context of

implementing national CAP Strategic Plans. CAP Strategic Plans opened up the opportunity of

creating activities and measures aligned with the specific needs of the member states, but also

imposed strict climatic and environmental requirements on the creators of the plans and farmers.

Against the backdrop of current geopolitical developments, high prices of energy and

agricultural inputs and market conditions, the debate will be an opportunity to exchange views,

positive experiences and limitations faced by the stakeholders of the European agricultural

sector. We see this Conference as an opportunity for representatives of national parliaments to

jointly consider the specific challenges faced by their farmers and rural areas, and to exchange

experiences, good practices and limitations, so that planning in the new programming period

can be as effective as possible.

The second debate will deal with the

Declaration of the Croatian Parliament on the Alps-

Adriatic-Danube Region GMO-Free Zone

and the Initiative by which the Republic of Croatia

invited the countries of the Alps-Adria-Danube region to take decisions at the national level to

support the implementation of the activities conducive to maintaining the Alps-Adria-Danube

region GMO-free. Among other benefits, this directly contributes to the achievement of the

goals of the European Green Deal. The discussion will also cover the European Commission’s

proposals for new regulations concerning

plants obtained by new genomic techniques

and the

production and marketing of plant reproductive material in the European Union.

The debate

will thus centre on the impact that these proposals will have on the sustainability of agricultural

and food systems, the sustainable use of production resources, the security of food supply,

environment, biodiversity and consumer safety.

In the third debate, the participants will exchange opinions on the potential of direct

participation of national parliaments in the creation of European policies, particularly in the

MOF, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 505: Invitation fra det kroatiske parlaments landbrugsudvalg til interparlamentarisk konference: “Contribution of national parliaments to improving the Common Agricultural Policy, d. 25/9-2023 i Zagreb

framework of political dialogue with the European Commission. In this regard, the Agriculture

Committee of the Croatian Parliament initiated political dialogues with the European

Commission on the need to regulate the shelf life of frozen meat on the internal market of the

European Union and on the need to introduce support per bee colony with the intention of

valuating the pollination role of bees. In addition, during the energy crisis and the drastic

increase in gas prices, the Committee pointed out the importance of supporting the

industry/producers of mineral fertilizers, all with the intention of preserving the viability of

mineral fertilizer production in the European Union. In this sense, we encourage participants to

send us the initiatives that they have launched or are launching through political dialogue with

the European Commission or through national institutions with the intention of pointing out

issues that need to be regulated at the European level in the coming period within the framework

of the Common Agricultural Policy. For more detailed information on the delivery of initiatives,

please refer to the CroAgroConf Practical Information.