"The CAP will bring its experience to European construction and the EU2020 strategy", according to Commissioner Cioloş
The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Cioloş has launched two days of reflection and discussion on the future of the CAP at a conference summarising the recent public debate on the post-2013 CAP launched last April. Opening the conference in Brussels, this morning, the Commissioner Cioloş said:
"The Europeans took the chance that we offered to express themselves. And
in a very active way. Almost 6000 responses were received. I wanted us to
have an open and transparent debate, a moment of truth between the CAP and our
citizens before reviewing the organization of the CAP, to be sure the
foundation is sufficiently solid to support this construction.
Our agriculture produces food, but at the same time, it produces and supplies rural culture and identity in Europe. And often European identity itself. The CAP has fed the European project for 50 years now. The CAP has been able to accumulate experience and can provide for the future. I note the contributions that we received underline that Europeans are primarily aware of the need for a strong common policy, focused on agriculture, serving society as a whole. In addition to that, there are four major themes that emerge from this discussion and come back often in the contributions: addressing the economic challenges, the environmental challenges, the challenge of maintaining rural life in all areas of the EU and the issue of quality and diversity."
