EPP Agriculture Ministers, chaired by Sari Essayah, Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and Herbert Dorfmann MEP, EPP Group Coordinator on Agriculture and Rural Development, gathered today in Brussels to discuss the key priorities for European agriculture in the context of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Ministers stressed the importance of maintaining a distinct and adequately financed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and underlined the need for a timely agreement on the MFF to provide certainty and predictability for farmers and the wider agricultural sector. Ministers highlighted the importance of research, innovation and new technologies in strengthening the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of European agriculture. They called for recognizing this need through future EU funding instruments, including the proposed Competitiveness Fund. Ministers welcomed the European Commission's recently published Livestock Strategy, underlining the critical importance of the livestock sector for food security, rural economies and Europe's strategic autonomy. They agreed that the strategy should support a competitive, resilient and sustainable livestock sector, while ensuring high animal welfare standards and creating new market opportunities. Ministers also emphasized that its implementation must take account of demographic and geopolitical challenges and be backed by adequate investment and innovation. Broad support was expressed for the EU Protein Action Plan as an important step towards strengthening Europe's strategic autonomy, reducing external dependencies and reinforcing the resilience and competitiveness of the agricultural sector. Concerns were raised regarding the implementation of environmental legislation, including the Nature Restoration Regulation, particularly its impact on food production, financing needs and uncertainty for farmers. Ministers called for a realistic approach that avoids placing additional burdens on farmers in the current challenging geopolitical context. The discussion concluded with a shared view that food security must remain a strategic priority and that future agricultural reforms should be practical, coherent, adequately financed and firmly focused on farmers.