EU Agriculture Ministers attend meeting in Brussels, Belgium;
Credit: Xavier Lejeune
On Wednesday 7 January 2026, Luxembourg’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture Martine Hansen took part in the political meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers in Brussels (Belgium).
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, the meeting took place in the presence of Commissioners Christophe Hansen (Agriculture), Maroš Šefčovič (Trade) and Olivér Várhelyi (Health), as well as Council President Maria Panayiotou (Cyprus) and, following recent demonstrations by the agricultural sector, focused on safeguarding the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and EU food sovereignty.
The ministry reported that in her intervention, Minister Hansen emphasised that the standards imposed on European farmers must not jeopardise EU food sovereignty, which must remain a priority. She said: “Our farmers produce staple foods for the European market and face competition from low-cost imported products that do not meet the same production standards. This creates a deep sense of injustice. It is crucial to guarantee fair competitive conditions for our farmers in terms of production standards and to avoid the relocation of food production to countries outside the EU.”
Minister Hansen stated that she supports strengthening European Commission audits in third countries to ensure that imports into the Union meet European standards, as well as the Omnibus legislative proposal, which sets out a new approach to import tolerances for pesticide residues in food. She stated: “We need a secure, dedicated budget that matches our ambitions and a strengthened Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that will be able to support the competitiveness of our agriculture.”
Moreover, the minister noted that the Commission’s initial proposal, involving the removal of a separate fund and separate programming for the CAP, was a first step in the wrong direction for the future of the Common Agricultural Policy. Rather than dismantling it, the CAP must be strengthened and its common character maintained across the whole of Europe.
Minister Hansen emphasised that the recent proposal by EU President von der Leyen is a step in the right direction but it would have been clearer, simpler and more reassuring for farmers if the dedicated budget reserved for the CAP had been increased.
