On 8th October, the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) in association with the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) of the European Parliament invited Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, from Poland, Commissioner-designate for Agriculture, to resume his hearing. On this occasion, Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI has the opportunity to make an opening statement. The following transcription is the result of an automatic process. Check Against delivery.

Brussels

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

hearing

hearing of Commissioners

WOJCIECHOWSKI, Janusz (ECR, PL, EC)

2019 Commissioners' hearings (T)

hearing of Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI 2019 (T)

Resumed hearing of Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture AGRI (envi) Committees: Opening statement by Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI

SOUNDBITE (English), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: Thank you very much Mr. President. Honourable Members of the European Parliament, thank you for giving me this opportunity to be more clear about how we'll approach the task of Commissioner for Agriculture. I wish to explain in more detail my vision. How to make European agriculture more competitive innovative green and how to make common agricultural policy more efficient and fair. And now I'd like to speak my mother tongue: Polish.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: European agriculture must be competitive. Farmers are entrepreneurs and they do need support in order to preserve their competitive capacity competitive edge to secure food safety to 500 millions of our citizens providing them each day with healthy food of high quality. This requires funds. I will stand up and defend for us a strong and adequate budget for agriculture and rural development so as to create jobs so as to create a dignified living conditions.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: CAP must be streamlined and harmonized. To this end I will propose and suggest to limit bureaucracy which is burdensome to farmers. The farmers want to work on their arable land. Take care of their flocks and not fill out so numerous forms. Ladies and gentlemen we do need to and has the position of European agriculture and global markets in line with the mission that has been entrusted to me by Madam Von der Leyen.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: I will promote in our own negotiations with our trading partners for European Union standards in terms of protection of environment climate animal welfare which are top of the class in the world on the on the other hand. I will make sure that those standards will be also complied with for importation of food coming in to the European markets so that the [Baris?] place exactly the same for our domestic producers and third countries producers geographically.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: The nomination will be further developed and that since it protects traditional European culture it is very much needed especially in centre central and eastern part of Europe where we do not have many arrangements concerning a geographical denomination. Ladies and gentlemen we are confronted with quite ambitious challenges in terms of Environment and Climate.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: Farmers will help to achieve European goals in terms of reduction of greenhouse gases production of bio diversity and to achieving zero level of pollution [?] farmers take steps to adjust and very often they are the first victims of a new climatic changes where various calamities destroy their clocks. I will defend and support farmers.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: I will try to make sure averted is not prohibitions and bans but rather incentives that will enhance their participation in the new European grain deal and the main instruments of assent should be voluntary voluntary operations in terms of ACO programs, green programs, greening programs and also voluntary operations within the second pillar of the NCP. Moreover I will also support organic farming organic farming to a large extent may contribute to the protection of natural environment and climate.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: I will come up with an action plan to develop organic farming within the European Union. CAP must be firm. Farming in EU countries is very much diversified from state to state instruments better employed to farming policies must take into account local differences. We must show flexibility in terms of instruments on the other hand CAP should be common as a policy in here. I very much subscribe to certain voices of anxiety and concern that have been voiced also during the previous discussion.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: We need common agricultural policy under binned by common goals common intervention and common indicators. This is the question that is very much controversial now in the reform effort. I'm very much open to any discussion with European Parliament to this end in order to preserve that community the community aspect of CAp where reform is underway. Also preserving her own for flexibility. We need to strike the right balance.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: So vote to provide room for national interventions. On the one hand and community directives on the other hand the fairness of CAP is also about convergence. External and internal. We are very well advanced on the way to equalizing payments. In between states and regions farmers within national states. I'll do my best to speed this process up and inequalities will be a very painful problem for many farmers in many countries especially in the countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: Ladies and gentlemen. We are confronted with the problem of land concentration and appropriation of land in certain countries. This is of course the property issue that is very much in the competence of individual member states. Nevertheless we should stand up for the farmers who are threatened with land grabbing and very interesting recommendations.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: In this respect have been formulated in the report of European Parliament from 2017 and I'll do my best to implement them in practice so that we monitor all land grabbing and so that we can promote exchange of good practices in all the countries where we could fund Dolph Lundgren Halbig rubbing effectively.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: Ladies and gentlemen in the European agriculture. [Varese] room for various farms to operate various types of farms for may be huge farms operating as well as medium sized and small. The bigger and stronger farms provide food safety to us whereas the smaller ones play a very important pivotal role.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, Commissioner-designate, Agriculture,: In preserving viability of rural areas and in protecting European landscape diversity in terms of sizes of farms. It's a value very precious value of European agriculture. And we should preserve this value. By all means in Europe. Thank you very much. I'm in your hands for any questions thank you.