Cyprus Agriculture Minister to present MED9 positions on need for a holistic water strategy in Brussels

Minister for Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou will present the positions of the nine Mediterranean member states of the EU on the need for the EU to tackle water scarcity and create a holistic water strategy, during the 28 January Agriculture and FIsheries Council of the EU (AGRIFISH) in Brussels.

The positions are outlined in a joint letter sent by the MED9 to the members of the European Commission.

Speaking before the meeting, Panagiotou referred to the recent MED9 meeting held in Cyprus and which focused on the impact of water scarcity on the primary sector of the economy. She added that following this initiative the nine countries submitted a joint letter to the new European Commission on their joint position on the need “to create a new holistic strategy on water resilience."

In effect, the nine countries are calling for more funding "for infrastructure in storage, infrastructure for the use of water from alternative sources such as desalination and tertiary treatment", as well as for support for farmers "who are experiencing the impacts of water scarcity by reducing their incomes", she explained.

Panayiotou also referred to the meeting taking place in Brussels at the level of the Commission's working group to monitor the implementation of the agreement on halloumi, with the participation of the Ministry. As she said, Cyprus would brief the Commission on actions being taken so that by 2029 "we can achieve our goal which is to maintain haloumi as our main agri-food external product and, of course, ensure the PDO which gives a special dynamic to exports."

Measures being taken to increase sheep and goat milk production include, according to the Minister, "the diversification of headage subsidies related to the productivity of sheep and goats", "tightening of legislation regarding those who may be in breach of standards", towards the new framework "to ensure no further increase in cow's milk" production in such a way that the activities of cow farmers also remain viable.

Finally, she referred to the measure to create a new simplified investment framework "for new sheep and goat production units of more than 800 (sheep and goats) in each unit, which means that through this framework we will be able to have more than 28,000 productive sheep and goats, which will give a special dynamic to the production of sheep and goat milk."

The Minister also noted that today's Council of Agriculture Ministers is the first of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, that is the first within the Trio of Presidencies which includes Poland and Denmark in 2025, as well as Cyprus in the first half of 2026.

Panayiotou stressed the importance of the fact that the priorities of the Polish Presidency include “the resilience of the agricultural world and of course its support against the crises it faces, whether they are related to weather conditions or geopolitical developments."

(Source: CNA)