Minister of Agriculture Maria Panayiotou is travelling to Luxembourg to attend the EU council of ministers for agriculture and fisheries on October 27-28.

The ministry said Panayiotou will emphasise the need to simplify procedures and restructure farms to make them resilient to the climate crisis. This is part of efforts to achieve the EU’s green transition in agriculture.

The council will focus on the “green architecture” of the common agricultural policy (CAP) as part of discussions on the European Commission’s proposal for CAP after 2027. Member states will express their views on the proposed green transition and the creation of equal conditions for competition between countries, including financial support for farmers.

Panayiotou will also stress the importance of increased allocation of credits for agriculture to meet climate and environmental targets.

The council will review market conditions, particularly considering the impact of the war in Ukraine. Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka will join the first part of the discussion.

In fisheries, ministers aim to reach a political agreement on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2026.

They will also discuss stocks of large pelagic species in the atlantic and mediterranean, ahead of the annual meeting of the international commission for the conservation of atlantic tunas (ICCAT). Panayiotou is scheduled to return to Cyprus in the early hours of October 29.