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At the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held on 26 January 2026, the Cyprus Presidency presented its work programme and priorities for the first half of the year. Agriculture and fisheries were highlighted as key economic drivers for Europe’s rural and coastal areas, ensuring food security, supporting strategic autonomy and contributing to environmental management and regional resilience.
The Presidency underlined its commitment to promoting a fair, competitive and sustainable primary production sector, while advancing a comprehensive approach to the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). In this context, Cyprus stressed the importance of developing robust legislative frameworks to help farmers and fishers cope with climate impacts, market disruptions, animal and plant health risks and rising production costs. These challenges, according to the Presidency, pose a serious threat to the stability and viability of the sectors, making progress on pending legislative proposals a top priority.
Maria Panayiotou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus, emphasised that agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture are central to the Presidency’s agenda, with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness, sustainability and attractiveness of the European agri-food and fisheries sectors.
Ministers also discussed organic farming, focusing on a proposal to amend the organic farming regulation regarding production rules, labelling, certification and trade with third countries. The Commission’s targeted proposal was broadly welcomed, and support was expressed for the Presidency’s ambition to reach a swift agreement. The objective is to implement a recent ruling of the EU Court of Justice and extend equivalence agreements with third countries, while simplifying the legislative framework to reduce administrative burdens and costs. There was broad consensus on the need for the revised rules to enter into force before the end of 2026, in order to ensure legal certainty for operators and consumers.
Finally, ministers exchanged views on agriculture, forestry and fisheries aspects of the updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy presented by the Commission in late 2025. The strategy was welcomed for its potential benefits for rural areas, long-term competitiveness and income diversification for farmers. However, several ministers stressed the need to safeguard food security and to harmonise and simplify rules and procedures. The Presidency will use this input to contribute to Council conclusions on the Bioeconomy Strategy, scheduled for adoption by the Environment Council in March 2026.
26 January 2026 / Council of the European Union / European Union.
https://www.consilium.europa.eu
