Croatia does not have the right to ignore the fact that its farms are old, that someone has to stay living there and that its agriculture needs to have a sufficient allocation for investments to catch up to developed countries, Agriculture Minister Marija Vuckovic said at a regional workshop on Friday.

This was the first regional workshop on the “Strategic Plan for the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) 2023-28,” intended for representatives of local and regional government and experts.

Vuckovic said that interested beneficiaries can be informed of the challenges of the future CAP and the basic elements of the future national strategic plan.

She recalled that the agriculture strategy to 2030 has been completed, as has a study on the strategy’s impact on the environment. The strategy has four objectives – increasing the productivity of agricultural production and its resilience to climate change, strengthening the competitiveness of the agriculture-food sector, reviving rural areas, and stimulating innovations.

On the other hand, the National Strategy Plan is being prepared according to future EU regulations and incorporates matters that the strategy doesn’t.

“We are opening important and challenging issues related to the financial allocation, about certain definitions that didn’t exist before, for example, what is a real or active farmer… The challenges ahead also mean satisfying climate and ecological ambitions in relation to investment in new technology,” said Vuckovic.

Commenting on the challenges in agriculture in the coming period, Vuckovic underscored that each country in the EU has its specificities.

” Agriculture in fact is that activity that has to equally consider all three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and green sustainability,” she said, adding that the agriculture policy wishes to contribute to maintaining Croatia’s beauty, biodiversity and to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.

She underscored that the rural development programme definitely brings structural changes to Croatia’s agriculture.

She announced that amendments to the Farmland Act would be prepared soon.