Date of release : 27-04-2005

Policy area : Agriculture and Fisheries Agriculture and Fisheries

Event : Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Fernand Boden, Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, current President of the "Agriculture and Fisheries" Council, and Octavie Modert, Secretary of State, met the Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture and the Romanian Secretary of State for Agriculture to exchange views as part of the "Agriculture and Fisheries" Council meeting on 26 April 2005. Fernand Boden emphasised the historic dimension of this first participation of the Bulgarian and Romanian delegations as observers at a formal session of the Council, after signing the Accession Treaty at the Centre Culturel de Rencontre Abbaye de Neumünster on 25 April. 

Mugur Cracium specified that 36 per cent of the working population of Romania, 4 million people, work in the agricultural sector, and explained that small farms should be expanded in order that in the years to come the average size of farms, which is currently 2.5 hectares, grows to 50-60 hectares. With the purpose of reaching this objective, it will also be necessary to pursue an ambitious rural development policy, so that to provide employment in rural areas. 

Nihat Kabil also emphasised the importance of the signing of the Accession Treaty, as well as its historic dimension. Moreover, Nihat Kabil underlined the importance of the SAPARD Programmes for rural development in Bulgaria.