European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Janusz Wojciechowski has said that he is proud of his achievements during his five-year term in office.
The term of the current European Commission will end in October this year, and while the commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been reconfirmed for another term at the helm of the commission, many, if not most, of the other commissioners will be ending their terms at that point.
In an appraisal of his time in office, Commissioner Wojciechowski – a native of Poland – said that his mandate as commissioner was “dominated by crises”, citing the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and a wave of farmer protests around Europe in response to pressure on incomes and rocketing input costs.
However, according to the commissioner, his term was also “defined by responses”.
On the pandemic, he said: “At that time, the commission took many decisions and interventions to support farmers and the food sector to effectively overcome this crisis, for example, by opening green corridors for agricultural commodities, facilitation of border crossing of agricultural workers, market interventions, and by allowing the flexible transfer of agricultural funds to crisis-related purposes.”
He also defended the commission’s record on supporting farmers at the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and during the ensuing war since, both in terms of directly supporting farmers as well as protecting them from lower-cost imports from Ukraine, especially farmers in neighbouring countries.
Other “key achievements” the commissioner cited included: an “increase” to the budget for the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that was adopted in 2020; the CAP reform itself (including allowing member states to develop their own strategic plans); the the simplification to the CAP this year in response to farmer protests.
“I am proud of these achievements, but I am also grateful for the cooperation I received during my time in office, without which these achievements would not have been possible.
“Most importantly, I would like to thank the farmers of the EU. During my mandate, I was lucky to meet with farmers from all member states and backgrounds. Indeed, I made it a priority to visit farmers during my missions to EU countries,” Commissioner Wojciechowski said.
He added: “These engagements were always important and enlightening, even when – in fact, especially when – points of criticism or disagreement were raised. Indeed, I am grateful for the protests of farmers, especially those in 2023-24, which had a significant impact on many changes in agricultural policy, in particular for the simplification carried out in 2024.
“Most of all, in these difficult times, I am grateful that there was no shortage of food anywhere in Europe. For this, farmers and all workers in the food sector deserve great thanks,” the commissioner commented.
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