The majority of member states are in agreement that a strong CAP with sufficient financial backing is necessary to ensure farmers easier access to funding as well as continuous food production in the area of the EU, Fazekas was cited as saying by state news agency MTI.

Hungary does not support allowing individual member states to directly subsidize their own farmers as this would put member states with fewer financial resources at a severe disadvantage, Fazekas added.

Hungary, together with Croatia, and its V4 partners the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, issued a joint declaration on the future of the EUʼs CAP at a meeting in Budapest last Thursday.

The ministers agreed that a strong CAP is necessary and support maintaining the two-pillar policy.  The CAPʼs first pillar includes direct payments and market measures, while the second pillar concerns rural development policy.