The new European Commissioner for Agriculture names the Ukrainian agricultural sector the elephant in the room regarding its impact on EU agriculture.

Christoph Hansen from Luxembourg has become the new European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food. Hansen comes from a family that owns a large farm in Luxembourg. Hansen has been working in the European Parliament since 2018. During the European Parliament’s introduction of the candidate for the post of Agricultural Commissioner, Christoph Hansen assessed Ukraine as the “elephant in the room” regarding its impact on EU agriculture.

“The solidarity that the EU has towards Ukraine is not something we should take for granted. We do not need to cause damage to our agricultural sector due to the accession of another country or other countries.”

He also promised to equalize subsidies for farmers from eastern and western EU member states. Now, countries contributing more to the EU budget will receive more subsidies. The EU provides €60B per year in agricultural subsidies.