My Weekly Update: #Simplification #Agrifish #G20 #ExpoMilano #DigitalSingleMarket #Migration #TTIP - Main contents

On Monday last I attended the AgriFish Council where I announced the first wave of simplification measures, in relation to the Guidelines for Direct Payments.

On Monday last I attended the AgriFish Council where I announced the first wave of simplification measures, in relation to the Guidelines for Direct Payments. I have made simplification a top priority for my work programme in 2015. Having listened carefully to the views of farmers, Ministers and MEPs, I unveiled a number of ‪ measures to make the lives of farmers and national administrations easier. Among such measures I detailed that Member States will only have to map declared EFA's and that I am ready to allow flexibility in identification of EFAs in EFA layer. In an effort to make life easier for farmers, I'm also ready to allow hedges/wooded strips with gaps of up to 4 metres. These changes will be present to the Direct Payments Management Committee on 20th May and can have immediate effect for 2015.

I was glad to receive the support of the Agrifish Council, as Council conclusions on Simplification were unanimously adopted, to the credit of the Latvian Presidency.

I travelled to Istanbul on Thursday of last week to attend the G20 Agriculture Ministerial. As I mentioned last week, having the chance to speak at G20 was an opportunity to solidify the link between European agriculture and global actors within this area to fight chronic food insecurity and malnutrition.

As I said in my speech to the group of Ministers from all over the world, "Agriculture is humankind's primary occupation - the only economic activity which can be truly said to nourish the world." Thus, as we concluded this week at the summit, we need to ensure a focus on improving the food value chain, increasing sustainable agri-production and moving forward with research and innovation to be successful in our goal to eradicate food insecurity.

During the summit I was delighted to have some wide range discussions with the national and global actors within this area including our host, Turkish Minister for Agriculture Eker, Japanese Minister Hayashi, US Secretary Vilsack, French Minister Le Foll. Indian Minister Singh and Canadian Minister Ritz.

Unsurprisingly, Expo Milano 2015, promoting the theme “Feeding the Planet: Energy for Life”, and its many related events on food security and nutrition featured as a theme during my time in Istanbul. I am looking forward to attending at the beginning of June so keep an eye out for updates on my trip. For a glimpse at my opening remarks, click here.

The past week has not only been a noteworthy one for agriculture and rural development, but for the entire European Union; on Wednesday last the Digital Single Market was launched. The Commission set out 16 key initiatives to open Europe to digital realities while ensuring fairness and service at the same time.

The launch of the Digital Single Market is a significant moment for European rural development. Digital Single Market is not just about utilising technology to build strong industries, business, creating jobs and raising competitiveness. For my portfolio, the Digital Single Market is about delivering high speed broadband to rural areas, bringing jobs, growth and competitiveness to our rural economy.

Today, the European Commission presented a European Agenda on Migration outlining the immediate measures that will be taken in order to respond to the crisis situation in the Mediterranean as well as the steps to be taken in the coming years to better manage migration in all its aspects.

The plight of thousands of migrants putting their lives in peril to cross the Mediterranean has shocked and it has become clear that no Member State can or should be left alone to address huge migratory pressures. This Agenda sets out a European response, combining internal and external policies, making best use of EU agencies and tools, and involving all actors: Member States, EU institutions, International Organisations, civil society, local authorities and third countries.

In the field of economic policy, we also presented the Country Specific Recommendations as part of the European Semester process.

Looking forward, next week I am travelling "across the pond" to visit the US. My trip will take me to Washington DC, Memphis and New York where I will have a series of meetings with senior Congressmen, Administration officials as well as speaking at the OECD Rural Development Conference in Memphis, before meeting senior UN official in New York.

You can keep updated on my itinerary during my trip by following me on Twitter and Facebook.