We have in Romania all the problems which we have in agriculture in Western Europe, but we have also specific problems which we have in Eastern Europe, such as those generated by the conflict in Ukraine, European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said in Bucharest on Wednesday.

While on an official visit to Romania, the commissioner participated in the National Conference of the Romanian Farmers' Club.

"I'd like to use this opportunity and to express my, first of all, thank you for the invitation to understand the problems of the European agriculture. There is no country in which there is a bigger accumulation of the all European problems than Romania. We have in Romania all the problems which we have in agriculture in Western Europe, but we have also specific problems which we have in Eastern Europe, like questions of external convergence, like questions of the situation that is all time we say new member states after 20 years, in case of Romania 18 years, after enlargement, and also the problems after the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the consequences especially for five frontline member states and among them the most important, the most heavy impact is in Romania," Wojciechowski said in the conference opening.

The European official also mentioned that the agricultural trade balance with third countries reached a record surplus worth 70 billion euro in the EU in 2023.

"I'd like to use once again the opportunity to express my thanks for all Romanian farmers, for you, ladies and gentlemen, for your huge contribution in this very difficult time to ensure food security for all European citizens and also for your contribution that in this difficult time we achieved in the European Union record level of the surplus in our trade balance, agri-food trade balance with third country. 70 billion euro in 2023, huge achievement, huge success, thank you, thank you very much for that, this is good to express at the beginning of our meeting," he showed.

The European Commissioner for Agriculture pointed out he is at the end of his mandate, nonetheless he mentioned the visit to Romania is not the last, but he is also planning on going to Lithuania.

"We are in a very important time. As you know, this is end of the first mandate of the President Von der Leyen Commission, also for me. This is not the last country visit. I am planning also the visit to Lithuania. But thank you very much. To be in Romania is very, very important and a good opportunity to summarise our cooperation and to present which should be the vision of agriculture in the future, taking into account the specific of the countries, especially in Romania. Thank you. It is a great opportunity to meet you and to discuss," Janusz Wojciechowski also said.

European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski is attending the Romanian Farmers' Club National Conference on Wednesday.

According to a press release from the European Commission, the commissioner was invited as a special guest to participate in the EU-Romania Interactive Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, where he will discuss the perspectives of European farmers in light of environmental, geopolitical, and EU enlargement challenges. Additionally, the European commissioner will make an intervention during the plenary session on the topic "Vision and Action for the Sustainable Transformation of Agriculture."

The Romanian Farmers' Club National Conference is attended by successful Romanian farmers, alongside high-ranking Romanian and European officials in charge with developing agricultural policies and strategies, leaders in agricultural technologies, as well as leaders of representative farmer associations at both the European and national levels. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Tilica, editor: Mariana Nica; EN - editor: Adina Panaitescu)