Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held on October 27 and 28, 2025, in Luxembourg, where discussions focused on the proposal for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2027 regarding the green architecture, the market situation, the Strategy for Renewing Generations in Agriculture, and the upcoming session of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which covers tuna and bonito species. In her statements, Panayiotou informed her counterparts about the dramatic situation facing agriculture in Cyprus due to drought, requesting support for affected farmers from EU funds. She also called for realism in implementing the EU’s generational renewal plan in agriculture, taking into account the needs of each member state.
An announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture notes that the Ministers of the 27 member states held an orientation discussion on the proposal for the CAP post-2027 regarding the green architecture. The discussion focused on assessing the attractiveness of the new architecture to encourage farmers to participate and contribute to achieving climate and environmental goals.
During her intervention, the Minister defended the need to promote a competitive agricultural sector that operates with environmental protection as a priority, underlining that this goal is one of the greatest challenges for the new CAP. She stressed the importance of ensuring adequate incentives for farmers to contribute to the ambitious goals of the green architecture, as well as the need for sufficient funding to address the climate crisis. At the same time, she highlighted the need to provide farmers with opportunities to increase their income through bioeconomy and circular economy actions.
At the discussion on the market situation, Panayiotou informed about the dramatic situation facing Cypriot agriculture due to drought. “She emphasized that the ongoing drought has affected all food production sectors, with forecasts for 2026 being bleak. She specifically referred to Cyprus’ request for support from EU funds, stressing the importance of supporting affected farmers” it is added.
The Ministers were briefed by Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, on the food production situation in the country. In her intervention, the Minister expressed Cyprus’ support for Ukraine’s efforts to align its products with the EU’s high production standards, emphasizing the importance of technical support for the country to achieve this goal. She also highlighted Cyprus’ position on shaping free and unhindered trade that ensures food security and fair competition among food producers.
It is further noted that the Ministers exchanged views on the EU’s position ahead of this year’s session of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which will be held in November in Seville. In her intervention, Panayiotou fully supported the Commission’s commitment to safeguarding the EU’s interests within the ICCAT, particularly regarding the possible increase in Total Allowable Catches (TAC) for bluefin tuna. She noted that the recovery of this stock is a success, and our priority is to avoid any loss in the existing EU quota distribution for bluefin tuna. In this context, she emphasized the need to ensure fair treatment and predictability regarding the fishing opportunities of member states, as well as equal competition with third countries. She also reminded of the illegal actions and harassment of the Cypriot fishing fleet by Turkey.
Subsequently, it is added, the European Commission presented the recently announced Strategy for Generational Renewal in Agriculture, which sets out a clear roadmap for supporting young farmers and attracting more people to the agricultural sector. The Minister welcomed the announcement and the goal of reducing the demographic gap in the agricultural sector. She also stressed the need to focus on the practical implementation of the initiative, taking into account the specificities of each member state. Finally, she highlighted the importance of setting realistic timelines for implementing the proposed actions for generational renewal to achieve tangible results.
On the sidelines of the Council’s work, Panayiotou held bilateral meetings with the Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Stefan Krajewski, the Slovak Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Richard Takác, and the Austrian Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Climate Protection, Environment, Regions, and Water Management, Norbert Totschnig. During these meetings, they discussed issues of mutual interest in view of the Cypriot Presidency.