The President and Vice President of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables of Murcia, APOEXPA, Joaquín Gómez Carrasco and Esther Gómez, respectively, asked the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament for an extension of the measures introduced by the EU to tackle the impact of the Russian veto, which will remain in force until 30 June.
This is in line with the measures proposed together with producer associations in France, Italy and Spain under the Hispano-Franco-Italian Joint Committee. Recently, the organisations represented by this Joint Committee submitted a letter to Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, requesting measures aimed at preventing crises such as that caused by the Russian veto.
The measures proposed to the Committee on Agriculture have been the expansion and extension of the exceptional measures established in Regulations No. 1031/2014 and 1371/2014, which include the increase in funding to support withdrawals for free distribution, as well as the need for public institutions to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables, highlighting aspects such as health and the environment.
Industry representatives also stressed the need to value the role that trees are playing in preventing desertification and aridity in southern Europe, as well as the maintenance of biodiversity.