“We need to fundamentally change the rules.” From Brussels, Emmanuel Macron spoke in the midst of a crisis in the agricultural world, after a meeting of the 27 heads of state of the European Union. While his government announced a little earlier this Thursday, February 1, measures at the French level to calm the situation and the FNSEA called for the blockages to be lifted, the President of the Republic detailed the provisions planned or negotiated at the level. of the EU, one of the main targets of farmers. “We need a stronger and more concrete Europe to help our farmers,” assured Emmanuel Macron. Return to the declarations of the Head of State.
Macron calls for a “European Egalim”
Emmanuel Macron called for the establishment of a “European Egalim”, evoking a “European fight to be waged” to “ensure at the European level that there is no circumvention of what we we have done at the French level by these large European purchasing centers”. “We need a stronger Europe to protect the income of our farmers,” added the Head of State.
Towards a “European health and agricultural control force”?
The Head of State requested “the establishment of a European health and agricultural control force” to “avoid” “unfair competition” between member countries of the European Union.
EU to introduce controls on Ukrainian grain imports
Emmanuel Macron affirmed that Ukrainian grain imports would also be affected by a “reinforced safeguard mechanism” at European level, allowing “intervention” in the event of destabilization of prices within the EU.
The European Commission announced this Wednesday the first measures in the face of farmers’ discontent, including this “emergency brake” in the event of an excessive increase in imports of so-called “sensitive” Ukrainian products: poultry, eggs and sugar. But cereals had not been included, to the anger of the farmers, who therefore won their case.
Mercosur – EU: Macron welcomes that an agreement was “not concluded in a hurry”
“The rules must be the same inside and outside,” reaffirmed Emmanuel Macron, recalling his opposition “as the texts stand” to the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. “I am pleased that the discussions on the basis of the text which was submitted were indeed suspended as we requested, and that they were not concluded hastily as some threatened to do, because we raised his voice, because we showed inconsistencies. “We are simply asking that the environmental and health rules that we impose on our farmers be the same in the countries to which we open our doors,” said the head of the state.
“Simplification measures at European level” from the end of February
“We have been able to launch an in-depth review of the logic and the European approach” on agriculture, affirmed the Head of State, which should make it possible to take measures from the end of February simplification at the European level, as we are currently doing at the French level.
Emmanuel Macron thus promised a “simpler agricultural policy, which takes greater account of the need to produce more, which integrates our environmental objectives. But which does so while preserving fair competition, farmers’ income and our food sovereignty.”