This is the first meeting of the kind within the one-year Polish Presidency to the Visegrád Group (VG) and the first meeting in person of the Visegrád Group Ministers of Agriculture after the Covid-19 Epidemic announcement this spring. Within the V4+7 VG Session, the ministers’ discussion involved two principal topics:

1. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Reform as from 2020 – the most important elements of the reform, which should be agreed upon within the Council general approach at the October meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH), and on the issue of how to avoid the possible loss of funds in the transitional period and of the recovery programme funds;
2. Using new technologies in agriculture within the climate change context – attaining the goals of planned decrease in use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) and fertilisers, and implementing new technologies in line with the EU “Farm-To-Fork” Strategy, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy.

A Common Declaration that was signed by the representatives of the VG-Session participating countries addresses the key issues of implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy as from 2020, and in particular of the green architecture and of the new model of implementation. Slovenia did not adhere to the part of the Declaration that touches upon the external convergence of direct payments.

In a bilateral meeting in the margins of the VG-Session, the Minister Dr Pivec met with the Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski. The topics of discussion involved the further strengthening of cooperation in the areas of agriculture, forestry and food, at political level and with the aim of strengthening mutual trade in goods. They exchanged views on certain CAP-Reform elements (in particular concerning small farmers, generational renewal, and prevention of loss of funds in environmental schemes).

This conference took place in the margins of the Polagra Fair, which is esteemed as the major agri-food event in the Central and Eastern Europe with the longest-standing tradition in organising markets, fairs and exhibitions.