Agriculture Minister István Nagy said the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union strives to create a competitive, crisis-resistant, sustainable, farmer-friendly and knowledge-based agricultural sector.
Speaking to the media ahead of a meeting of the Environment Council, Minister Nagy said the meeting will focus on sustainability, underlining the contribution of sustainable farming and forestry to the achievement of the EU's climate targets.
Minister Nagy said the council would also have to establish a joint position on biodiversity for the United Nations COP16 conference to be held between Oct 21 and Nov 1 in Colombia.
The minister said he will also brief the council on progress on an agreement concerning the protection of cetaceans, and ministers will also discuss agreements regarding desertification and droughts.
Aniko Raisz, the state secretary for the environment and circular economy, noted that the priorities of the Hungarian EU presidency were centred around competitiveness and environmental protection goals.
These, she said, included the prevention of further pollution, the preservation of biodiversity and taking the necessary steps concerning climate change.
Raisz said environment ministers today will also discuss preparations for next month's COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan as well as the INC-5 session to be held in South Korea.
The council will also review the EU's chemicals strategy and formulate guidelines for the next steps, the state secretary said.