André Franqueira Rodrigues, a member of the European Parliament from the PS (Partido Socialista) representing the Azores, called for concrete commitments for the future of European agriculture.
The Azorean Member of the European Parliament exchanged views with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, during the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development meeting. The debate focused on the strategic vision for the future of agriculture and food in Europe, which will be presented on February 19th.
During the session, the Socialist Deputy underlined the importance of the livestock sector, saying that “milk and meat production is essential for the economy, for social vitality and for the environment in various European rural regions, particularly in the Azores.”
Stressing that “not all regions will be affected in the same way,” he reinforced “the need for firm commitments and concrete measures to meet the growing challenges of economic viability and adaptation to environmental and social demands, with a special focus on food security and sovereignty.”


Support for the outermost regions (ORs) was also addressed. André Franqueia Rodrigues questioned Christophe Hansen on “what concrete proposals for these regions will be included in the Commission’s vision for the future of agriculture” and defended, in particular, the “strengthening of the POSEI program, which is truly essential for the future of the agricultural sector in the ORs.”
Franqueira Rodrigues also welcomed “the Commission’s commitment to promoting generational renewal in the agricultural sector” but asked Christophe Hansen how he intends to “reflect this priority concretely in the Common Agricultural Policy and what he will do differently to address this important challenge.”

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director

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