According to the Minister for Rural Affairs of Estonia, Tarmo Tamm, who chaired the meeting, CAP needs to offer farmers tools that will improve their readiness for times of crisis and increase the competitiveness of farmers in open market conditions.

The ministers came to the conclusion that the crisis reserve system has to be revised and the implementation of the system needs to be made faster and more flexible. It was thought that risk management measures have to take the specifics of different member states into consideration. The ministers also came to an agreement that direct supports have an important role in securing stable incomes in the agricultural sector.

“The last crisis also showed us that direct supports help farmers get through the most difficult times,” Minister for Rural Affairs Tarmo Tamm stressed. 

The main topic of the informal meeting was ‘Risk management: Empowering our farmers with effective tools to manage risks post-2020'. Delegations from 28 member states, and representatives of the European Commission, European Parliament, the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, Copa-Cogeca, and CEJA took part in the meeting. Additionally, visitors had the opportunity to get acquainted with Estonian cuisine, culture, and nature, as well as taking part in the discussions.

A meeting of the European Union's Special Committee on Agriculture was held in Tallinn at the same time as the informal meeting of ministers for agriculture and fisheries. During the meeting, the Committee discussed the topics related to the simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (the Omnibus regulation).

Via eu2017.ee