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During the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg, Bulgaria supported the text of the Presidency Conclusions of the EU Council on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2027. The conclusions of the Hungarian Presidency were supported by 26 Member States.

"We appreciate the efforts of the Presidency to find a compromise formulation that would be acceptable to all Member States, and we believe that the Conclusions on the future of the CAP after 2027, aimed at farmers, are an appropriate opportunity to focus attention on the issue still unresolved regarding fair distribution of payments, which is a sensitive issue for the country," said the Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr Georgi Tahov.

Minister Tahov presented to the EU Council a joint statement by Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, which takes into account the need to achieve full external convergence of direct payments between Member States. The document points to continuing disparities leading to unequal market conditions.

The Republic of Bulgaria also supported Romania's request to increase the individual cap of support under the State Aid Temporary Framework as a result of the war in Ukraine, applicable to the primary agricultural sector, up to EUR 560,000/beneficiary and to extend the period of the Temporary Framework to at least 30 June 2025. 

The Republic of Bulgaria fully supported the concerns expressed by Slovakia that the risk of losing EU funds is real for a number of Member States. Therefore, at the Council Meeting in June, our country proposed to extend by 12 months the eligibility period for expenditure, the deadlines for administrative closure of programmes and the deadline for amending the Rural Development Programmes 2014-2022. "None of us want to see a loss of money for the beneficiaries - our farmers. It is important to note that the delay in the implementation of the Rural Development Programmes is mainly due to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine," Minister Tahov said.

Regarding the challenges facing the EU food chain, the Minister said that "for Bulgaria, in view of its specific geographic location as an external border of the EU, the need to ensure the financial security of the implemented measures against threats to human, animal and plant health is of key importance. We believe that greater coordination of preventive action against diseases and pests, as well as timely financial support to affected countries, will improve the supply chain's preparedness for future challenges." He added that animal disease surveillance and control requires enormous effort and resources from Member States, especially those on the frontline.

 

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