A review of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) plus the general issue of food security are among the priorities Poland will focus on during its EU presidency that begins in the new year. “We will formulate new directions and work on preparing new policies in individual areas,” Poland’s Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekiersk told a press conference yesterday, declaring that Warsaw expects the new European Commission to help formulate a vision of agricultural policy for the period after 2027.
One goal would be to further the development of genomic techniques that adapt crops to climatic and environmental challenges like drought or new diseases, he stated, explaining that this would not mean “the introduction of foreign genes” but would serve “to increase the resistance and production capabilities of plants.”
Siekiersk pointed out that a strategic dialogue was already underway regarding the Common Agricultural Policy, and that the European Commission is expected to document a vision for agriculture and food detailing the changes it seeks to introduce for a redesigned CAP after 2027.
The Minister stressed that the Polish presidency’s agenda hinges on the issue of overall security in its various dimensions, hence the emphasis on food security when it comes to agriculture. “We want to continue the review of the Green Deal to maintain and develop rationalising solutions so that it takes a form that is environmentally friendly but also acceptable to farmers, reducing administrative burdens”, he said.
Siekierski noted that during its presidency, Poland also wants to deal with external issues, such as the Mercosur agreement, as well as preparations for Ukraine’s accession to the EU and further cooperation after 5 June 2025, which marks the end of the current EU-Ukraine trade agreement. “We will want to significantly limit the EU’s openness to goods from Ukraine, because it undermines the stability of European markets, but we will also talk about what the Common Agricultural Policy should be like related to the enlargement of the Union to Ukraine or other countries”, he added.
