The For Forest group chaired by Finland is of the opinion that the sustainable bioeconomy and the importance of forests should be recognized in the work program of the future EU Commission. The initiative received support from a total of 16 member countries.
The agriculture ministers of the European Union member states met in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss easing the plight of agriculture.
Agricultural producers have protested all over Europe this spring. As a result, the EU Commission has given a bureaucracy relief package to the agricultural sector.
The Commission’s change in regulation aims to streamline the regulations of the EU’s common agricultural policy. Member states could, for example, adapt environmental requirements due to difficult weather conditions.
The Commission also intends to strengthen the position of producers by bringing more transparency to the income generation of the food chain. It also intervenes in unfair trade practices.
Finland was represented at the meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council by the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah (kd). In his opinion, the regulatory simplification measures given by the Commission are good.
“However, we need stronger means to improve the producer’s position in the food chain. The commission will issue a regulation on this in the summer.”
Essayah believes that in Finland, the government’s own, national measures will have time to ease the situation of farmers before the EU’s decisions come into force.
“We already have a draft law related to the food market commissioner’s access to information rights and the competition authority. It should come to parliament in the fall.”
Essayah himself said that he also brought up at the meeting the fact that the Commission urgently needs implementing instructions for the EU’s deforestation regulation.
Finland brought out the importance of the bioeconomy
The For Forest group of EU forested member states, chaired by Finland, brought up the information issue at the meeting. It was a paper stating that sustainable bioeconomy and the importance of forests must be recognized in the work program of the future EU Commission.
In addition to Finland, the For Forest group includes Sweden, Austria and Slovenia.
The cause is also supported by Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia. In total, 16 EU member states supported the paper.
Essayah said that she was happy that the bioeconomy communication received so much support from the member countries. Among other things, the French minister spoke strongly in favor of it.
“It was also great to notice that the bioeconomy was included in the conclusions of the previous summit. It was promoted to master level. You could say that the bioeconomy is doing well at the moment. It’s downwind. The bioeconomy has momentum.”
According to Essayah, the current EU Commission has not taken a favorable view of the bioeconomy.
“It feels like it has been faded in some way. Now there is a completely different drive towards this matter.”
Essayah sees many opportunities in the bioeconomy. The most important of them is related to the transition from fossil fuels. In Essayah’s opinion, the bioeconomy can also strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy and self-sufficiency.
Domestic events shocked
The big topic of conversation at the weekend was the shooting incident in which the MP Timo Vornanen (ps) is connected. Vornanen is suspected of having pointed a gun at two people and fired a shot into the ground.
Essayah was asked after the meeting what thoughts Vornase’s case evokes. Essayah is the chairman of the governing party Christian Democrats.
“Like everyone else, I am really shocked when a fellow representative, even a former police officer, is suspected of being guilty of shooting, threatening and carrying a weapon in a public place. It is quite clear that this is a very serious situation,” Essayah stated.
He believes that the parliamentary group of basic Finns and the party will make the “necessary decisions” quickly.