Mediterranea Calls for Urgent EU Action on Water Security

At a meeting in Cyprus on Tuesday, September 3, agriculture ministers from nine EU member states urged the European Commission to expedite water security policies. The MED-9 ministers, representing Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain, issued a joint appeal to address water shortages and secure water supply for the agricultural sector amid worsening drought conditions.

Cypriot Minister Maria Panayiotou, speaking at a press conference, emphasized the ministers’ commitment to tackling water scarcity and securing a sustainable future for farmers. She urged the European Commission to quickly implement the European Water Strategy. The strategy was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her speech to the European Parliament on July 18, 2024. On the same day, environment ministers from 21 EU countries also called for a strategy to prioritize water management in the EU agenda.

The MED-9 ministers emphasized the need for increased financial support for European agriculture, particularly by establishing a European insurance system. This idea had been proposed by Spanish Minister Luis Planas to the European Commission earlier, and was supported by his counterparts from the MED-9 group.

In a joint press release, the ministers called for flexibility and simplification in the financing framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to support water management measures, including funding for irrigation investments. Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida stressed the importance of strengthening CAP funding, noting that it is the key instrument to sustain agriculture in various regions.

The ministers also advocated for increased EU investment in applied research to promote the use of available technologies and the development of crop varieties that can better withstand water scarcity. French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau highlighted the potential of gene-editing techniques as a tool to produce crops that are more resilient to water and climate stress.

European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski, who attended the conference and held bilateral meetings with the ministers, reiterated that water security should remain a core focus of the European Commission’s work to ensure a sustainable future for farmers.

The ministers concluded by calling for enhanced cooperation among the MED-9 countries in research, sharing best practices, and finding technological solutions to water-related challenges.

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