The previous mandate at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food was marked primarily by the preparation and adoption of a number of strategic documents for the 2007–2013 period, such as the selection of a direct payments model, a strategic rural development plan, and the Slovenian Rural Development Programme 2007–2013, a strategy for adapting Slovenian agriculture and forestry to climate change, the national forestry programme and the national strategic plan for fisheries development. The priorities for our work over that period will again include the effective implementation of existing plans and the preparation of further action plans.

We will continue to work on maintaining the stability and predictability of the agricultural system, with changes to the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) again anticipated after 2013. We want to bolster this stability by making the work of the ministry and its constituent bodies more efficient, which is one of our key tasks. In practice this means making implementation of CAP measures faster and more efficient by paying for some measures in the same year. In this way we want to facilitate the highest possible utilisation of EU funds. We will amend some legal acts to improve management opportunities and hence contribute to greater productivity and competitiveness in Slovenian agriculture. This is particularly important given the financial and economic crisis.

From my point of view it is important that when the anticipated amendments to the CAP are introduced in four years time, we will have already taken a step forward by adapting agriculture and forestry to the new challenges. These include increased demand for food and renewable sources of energy, continued trade liberalisation, climate change, environmental protection and preserving biodiversity.

One of the basic guidelines in my work as minister will be partnership and transparency in work. This will mean even closer cooperation with non-governmental organisations, social partners, and businesses in agriculture, the food processing industry and forestry, as well as with the wider public.

Prof Dr Milan Pogačnik, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food