I made a personal decision to move into the European parliament with an ambition to actively promote the interests of the Czech and European citizens in the area of agriculture, food sector and rural development. During the last years, my country had no member in the Agriculture Committee, which was a limiting factor and disadvantage during negotiations on key files.
From my perspective, there is a number of specific risks in the opinion of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development that was adopted at the beginning of April 2019, in particular a major negative impact on livestock and sensitive commodity production, which is exactly the opposite of what we need for stabilization and long-term development of the sector.
I do not agree with the proposed substantial budget cuts, because the CAP is crucial not only to ensure the food security and high food quality standards in the EU, but also in terms of the environmental protection, animal welfare and animal health, as well as the competitiveness of the European agriculture. Therefore, I will continue to clearly oppose the proposed cuts. I believe that it is not possible to increase bureaucratic requirements for producers and processors, while at the same time substantially reducing their funding.
In the light of my previous professional experience, I have decided to become a substitute member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, where budget, internal market and financial topics are discussed. Another committee where I am a substitute is the Committee on Fisheries. I am also a member of the delegations working closely with Turkey and the United States.