Commissioner Cioloş in Austria: "Focus on quality and environmental protection"
Commissioner Dacian Cioloș made his first visit as Commissioner to Austria on June 30 and July 1 – the day that the new EU Organic logo entered into force. After an informal evening meal with Austria's Farm Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich on the Wednesday evening, there was a more formal bilateral meeting on the Thursday morning where the future of the CAP after 2013 was the main point for discussion.
In the subsequent press conference, the Commissioner backed the idea of a 2 Pillar structure to the CAP after 2013, and stressed that the focus on quality and environmental protection that is so typical for the Austrian agricultural sector will be at the heart of the future EU CAP.
After a working lunch with leading farm representatives, members of the Parliament Agriculture Committee, and Austrian MEP Elisabeth Köstinger, the Commissioner visited a farm in Haslau. The family holding was particularly interesting because the farmer sells one third of his products directly (on the farm or at local markets) and also has a very active agri-tourism business, filling almost all of the standards .
