DPM Simović meets with EU counterparts in Berlin, agrees further support to Montenegro

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Milutin Simović attended last night's ceremony on the occasion of opening the Global Food and Agriculture Forum (GFFA) and the largest agricultural fair Green Sunday, at the invitation of Minister of Food and Agriculture of the Federal Republic of Germany Christian Schmidt. The events taking place in Berlin from 18 to 21 January.

German Minister of Agriculture Christian Schmidt opened a meeting pointing to the importance of joint response to numerous challenges in the field of agriculture and the food industry in order to strike a balance between the growing global demand for food and preservation of natural resources and environment. Schmidt stressed the need to preserve biodiversity at the top of the agenda of future joint action and creation of agricultural policies. This means, as he pointed out, the production of safe and quality food, the smarter use of resources, above all land and water, while providing animal welfare.

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan said that the Green Sunday in Berlin represents for agriculture the same as Davos for the global economy. Pointing out that this year's Berlin gathering will be held at an important moment for EU farmers, the moment when a new Common Agricultural Policy (CFP) is being drafted, the European Commissioner has said that the new policy should continue to be common but that it is necessary to simplify it for farmers, i.e. that farmers have more efficient support with less bureaucracy. Among other things, Hogan stressed that the focus of the new EU policy should be to create the prerequisites for European farmers to earn more money than traders.

During his metting with Schmidt, Minister Simović pointed out that Montenegrin agriculture has significantly progressed on the road to the EU and in this regard it is very important for Montenegrin agricultural producers to start to use soon the IPARD support programme. Simović thanked for the continued support of the German Government in the process of EU integration of Montenegro in various fields, including agriculture.



Minister Schmidt stressed that he was paying close attention to Montenegro's progress in the EU integration process, particularly in the field of agriculture, pointing out that Germany will continue to support our country on its European path. The German Minister of Agriculture with pleasure has accepted the invitation of DPM Simović to visit Montenegro.

At the margins of the first day of GFFA, DPM Simović had a series of meetings with his counterparts from the EU.

Hungarian Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas expressed readiness of his country to continue to support Montenegro and offered assistance to strengthen Montenegrin food security system, as well as the transfer of experience and knowledge in the implementation of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, focusing on the use of EU funds and support for young farmers. To this end, he invited Montenegrin experts to visit Hungary.

Simović thanked for Hungarian support in Montenegro's NATO accession process, as well as for the continuous support on its road to the EU. According to Simović, the offered assistance in the field of improving agriculture and food security is particularly significant for our country.

Simović and Fazekas agreed that the trade links between Montenegro and Hungary need to be strengthened, as growing number of Hungarian tourists visit Montenegro.


The meeting of Deputy Prime Minister Simović with Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition of Slovenia Dejan Židan was an opportunity to discuss further activities for the implementation of the Action Plan for Cooperation between the two countries, signed in April 2017.

Minister Židan thanked Montenegro for the comprehensive support of the Slovenian initiative to proclaim the World Bee Day, which was officially adopted by the UN. As he said, Slovenia will continue to provide expert support to Montenegro in implementing the requirements of the negotiating process in Chapters 11, 12 and 13 related to agriculture, food security and fisheries.

Minister of Agriculture of Croatia Tomislav Tolušić, during his meeting with the Montenegrin delegation, conveyed the experience of Croatian agriculture after joining the EU and expressed his readiness to share their experience with Montenegro in order to better manage the further reform process in line with the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. The interlocutors particularly emphasised the importance of transferring concrete experiences in the drafting and implementation of EU-funded programmes.

Deputy Prime Minister Simović also spoke with Minister of Rural Affairs of Estonia Tarmo Tamm. The two officials agreed to continue cooperation, especially within the signed agreement in the field of agriculture, which among other things implies the transfer of experience in the implementation of digital agriculture.