Croatia at the Agrifish Council in Brussels

At the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Agrifish) meeting held on Monday in Brussels, the European Commission (EC) presented a proposal to amend the organic production regulation, which includes rules on production, labelling, certification and trade with third countries, the Ministry of Agriculture reported.

At the first Agrifish meeting under the Cypriot presidency, Croatia was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries David Vlajčić.

Legal certainty and stability of trade

Ministers welcomed the targeted approach of the EC and supported the Presidency's ambitious plan to reach an agreement quickly, before the end of 2026, in order to ensure legal certainty and stability of trade.

Croatia supported the proposed amendments and stressed the need to protect domestic producers and clearly label organic products.

The EU Bio-economy Strategy was presented and updated, and the Croatian delegation informed the Council that the Government had recently adopted a national Bio-economy Strategy.

After the adoption is formally confirmed in the Parliament, Croatia will be among the few EU member states with such a national strategic plan, the ministry notes.

As part of the discussion on preserving food security and EU sovereignty, the ministers discussed a number of topics of crucial importance for the future of agricultural production on the continent, such as the Mercosur agreement, the continuation of the process of simplifying the rules for the implementation of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), as well as the future financial framework of the EU.

Concerns of farmers

Vlajčić stated that farmers have recently clearly shown their dissatisfaction and concern with the current situation.

“It is crucial that we listen to them carefully, whether it is about the future of the CAP, trade agreements, administrative burden or the growth of production costs,” he said.

A working lunch of ministers was also held, at which the EC Commissioner for Animal Health and Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, announced the planned activities of the EC with the aim of strengthening the system of controls on imports of agri-food products into the EU territory. He also presented the recently adopted package for simplifying the legal framework in the field of food and feed safety.

In this part of the discussion, Croatia supported the Slovenian initiative to continue and strengthen animal welfare policy at the EU level, primarily in the context of the ban on breeding animals for fur, and expressed its readiness for constructive cooperation with the EC in the further development of this policy.

Development of legislation on food labelling

Regarding food labelling, Croatia supported the French call for further development of food labelling legislation, highlighting the importance of mandatory indication of the origin of food in order to better inform consumers and protect product quality.

In the area of fisheries, Croatia supported the Spanish initiative aimed at resolving practical difficulties in the implementation of the Control Regulation, especially in the part relating to the obligation to very precisely estimate and record catch quantities already at sea and to the use of the IT CATCH system.

On this occasion, Vlajčić stressed the need for proportionate and implementable solutions that take into account the actual conditions of fishing, especially for small-scale and mixed fishing, while maintaining high standards of traceability and the fight against illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.

He also held several bilateral meetings, including a meeting with the head of the office of the Representative Office of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem in Brussels, where, among other things, they discussed possible cooperation on initiatives aimed at promoting the region within the European framework, according to a statement from the Ministry.

Source: HRT