Important agreements reached on the Regulations on the agenda of the Council of the European Union by the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries of the member countries. Italy was attended by Undersecretary Francesco Battistoni, delegated by Minister Stefano Patuanelli, who illustrated the Italian position on the decisions on agriculture and fisheries and underlined the critical issues that emerged from the discussions.
Representatives of the member countries have approved the Regulations that define the total catch and quota limits for the main stocks for 2022 in Union and external waters. In approving the Regulations that establish particular paths aimed at making fishing activities ecologically sustainable, Undersecretary Battistoni stressed the need to also consider the economic sustainability of Italian and European fishing companies, and not to modify or implement additional technical standards, related to the days of stoppage of the activities or of the quantities that can be fished. All of this resulted in much less impactful measures than those envisaged in the initial proposals. The fixing of quantities for the bottom prawns has also fully satisfied the Italian needs.
Italy also expressed its appreciation for the decision to implement a European Directive on combating unfair commercial practices in the food supply chain, to protect consumers and small producers, and approved the definition of an emergency plan to guarantee supply. and food security in the EU in times of crisis as part of the “Farm to fork” strategy, such as in the case of pandemics, extreme weather events, animal diseases, energy shortages or the breakdown of relations with non-EU trading partners.
Undersecretary Battistoni noted that “the meeting made it possible to make significant progress on various fronts, to protect citizens and agricultural and fishing entrepreneurs. We have approved important measures, such as the regulations for fish stocks for 2022, and we have thus been able to highlight how once again the contribution of Italy, its representatives and its technicians, is a fundamental contribution to reaching agreements that satisfy all parties involved and market operators. I wanted to underline, in terms of prospective actions, the need for a common European intervention on the issue of fertilizers, energy costs and raw materials, to prevent strong pressures on prices from causing negative effects on sales and on the economic prospects of consumers and producers. . "
Finally, during the meeting, the Council of Ministers discussed some experiences of organic production in the EU, animal welfare, the increase in the cost of fertilizers, energy and raw materials, as well as the programming of the European Fund for maritime affairs, fisheries and aquaculture in order to define a long-term investment strategy that ensures effective use of funds by member countries.