Photo by ForestPress

The Finnish and Hungarian Ministers of Agriculture, Sirkka-Liisa Anttila and József Gráf, met in Budapest on 15 July to discuss closer cooperation between the two countries with regard to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and to agree on separate bilateral development projects.

The Ministers discussed the special features of both countries’ agricultural policy in detail. Their discussions also extended to the Swedish EU Presidency, future challenges to the EU’s agricultural policy, and Hungary’s Presidency in 2011 and the agricultural policy agenda in connection with it. The Ministers also agreed to increase official cooperation between Finland and Hungary and on Finnish support in Hungary’s preparations for the EU Presidency.

The Ministers also accompanied one another on familiarisation visits to two Hungarian dairy farms to get a realistic idea of milk production in Hungary. At the same time, Mrs Anttila described the current state of Finnish milk production.

During her visit, Mrs Anttila also met Sándor Font, Chairman of the Committee for Agriculture at the National Assembly of Hungary, and she unveiled a plaque by Finnish sculptor Professor Yrjö Liipola in Vörösmarty Square in Budapest.