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SUBJECT [May 22] EAEU holds an emergency working meeting of the ministers of agriculture via video-conference
DATE 2020-05-22
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Photo: EEC. Artak Kamalyan, Minister in charge of Industry and Agricultural Sector of the Eurasian Economic Commission

 

On May 18, EAEU held an emergency working meeting of the ministers of agriculture of the states of the Eurasian Economic Union and ministers of the Eurasian Economic Commission Board via video conference. The discussion majorly touched upon general principles and approaches to ensuring food security.

 

The emergency meeting took place as COVID-19 brought about many obstacles in ensuring food security within the Union. The participants shared related measures taken in their country. “In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, issues of stable saturation of the market with food products are becoming increasingly acute and urgent. In addition to maintaining the stable and uninterrupted functioning of the Union’s internal agrifood market, we must join our efforts and take concerted actions to find new export niches,” emphasized Artak Kamalyan, Minister in charge of Industry and Agricultural at EEC.

 

Regarding the difficulties of ensuring food security the Union has faced, the ministers actively discussed two main approaches: one related to the regulation of agricultural and food security at the expense of national production resources, and the other to the use of a collective model to envisage economic potential of all EAEU countries. The relevant act of the EAEU bodies is to be adopted to serve as the comprehensive document that defines general principles and approaches to ensuring food security.

 

Additionally, the ministers talked about forming a common market for organic agricultural products in the EAEU. According to Kamalyan, the demand for organic products is expected to double in the near future. Although all countries of the Union have already adopted a legislative framework regarding the development of organic agricultural production, the differences among each regulation had to be considered. Therefore, the ministers deemed plausible for the Union to prepare a supranational act that guarantees more uniformity of regulations, so that they could ensure an unhindered movement of organic agricultural products in the EAEU and create conditions for the realization of export potential amid growing global demand for organic goods.

 

 

[Sources]

EEC. (2020, May 19). EAEU Agriculture Ministers discussed food security in conditions of coronavirus pandemic. Retrieved from http://eec.eaeunion.org/en/nae/news/Pages/19-05-2020-1.aspx

 

 

BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)