A meeting between members of the Committee on Rural Affairs (COR) and Janusz Wojciechowski, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, took place at the Seimas. The meeting discussed the priorities of the European Union's (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the convergence of direct payments, the policy on the restoration of permanent grassland and the financing of the agricultural sector.

During the meeting, the European Commissioner shared his insights on the CAP, highlighting its four main pillars: food security, stability, sustainability and solidarity. He noted that Lithuania faces unique challenges, such as uneven direct payments and requirements for restoring permanent grassland, but that cooperation between the EU institutions is helping to address these challenges.

J. Wojciechowski‘s stressed the need to increase the CAP budget as inflation is causing the current budget to lose its value. „The agricultural budget should be separate – it cannot be merged into a single envelope, as this would weaken its position“, – noted Mr Wojciechowski‘s.

„We welcome the final report published by the European Commission on the strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture. It provides an important basis for shaping the priorities of the CAP after 2027, in order to balance economic and environmental objectives with the needs of farmers“, – said Kęstutis Mažeika, President of the CRC.

The meeting highlighted the importance for Lithuanian farmers of achieving fair alignment of direct payments between EU Member States. It is important to ensure that the agricultural budget remains stable and that farmers receive fair payments. Mr Wojciechowski echoed the Committee's sentiments, stating that twenty years after the beginning of EU membership, Lithuania and the other countries that joined the EU together can no longer be called "new" members and the convergence of direct payments must be completed.

The CoR President also stressed that the new composition of the Committee will aim to ensure continuity of the work and the implementation of the CAP priorities previously identified by the Committee.