Attending an EU ministerial, Slovenia's Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec said Slovenia was in favour of the CAP's environmental ambition, but it finds it key that member states are allowed to reach the more ambitious goals by adapting the measures to their specific circumstances.

Slovenia can thus back the eco-scheme as a compulsory element of the first CAP pillar, meaning direct payments to farmers, however enough flexibility needs to be secured, the minster said.

Pivec also stressed that the envisaged share of funding for rural development that needs to go for environmental and climate change should take into consideration payments for areas with natural and other restrictions.

In general, to reach the more ambitious environmental goals it is first necessary to preserve funding at the current level, especially for the second pillar, which pertains to rural development, she said.

Slovenia feels that the funding envisaged for the country as part of CAP for the 2021-2027 period is insufficient - compared to the current period, funding for direct payments would be cut by 3.9% and for rural development by almost 15%.

Meanwhile, the ministers were presented by the European Commission today a report showing the EU and the global market face sugar surpluses after sugar quotas were abandoned in September 2017.

Slovenia is joining the group of members states who support the use of voluntary coupled support as an important tool for preserving the production and processing of sugar beet.

Pivec said this was important from the socio-economic perspective, as it helped preserve adequate revenue for producers and jobs. Also important will be securing the right balance between the producers of sugar beet and raw sugar refineries in the EU, the minister added.