EU Ministers Call for Aiding Poor Countries as Food Prices Rise
The Slovenian EU presidency initiated at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels on Monday a debate on the causes for high food prices. The prices prompted many EU agriculture ministers to call for aiding the poorest countries and stress that the EU agriculture policy was not to blame.
According to the presidency, the prices of food rose because of the increasing number of people, bigger purchasing power, greater demand for biofuels, higher price of oil and poor weather. The presidency also pointed to export caps, introduced by some countries, and speculations.
The prices have hurt the poorest countries the most, which is why urgent action is needed, the presidency added. The high prices should, however, also be seen as an impetus for developing the agriculture sector.
While the ministers by-and-large agreed that the poor needed to be helped, the countries also advocated their views on how to overcome the crisis, ranging from greater liberalisation to pointing out the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The member states agreed that CAP could not be to blame for the current situation. Slovenian Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc, who is chairing the meeting, said upon arrival that not only the consumers but also farmers have problems with high prices.
The ministers are also expected at the meeting to try and reach a political agreement on the draft regulation on the placing of plant protection products on the market.
The draft document is aimed chiefly at maintaining a high level of human, animal and environmental protection without compromising the competitiveness of the agriculture sector and food production.
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