Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Cem Özdemir, Mayor of Berlin Kai Wegner and European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen visited the Bulgarian stand
The three officially opened the Bulgarian stand at the largest international exhibition for the food industry, agriculture and horticulture "Green Week 2025", which is taking place in Berlin. They were welcomed by the Bulgarian delegation, led by the Deputy Ministers of Agriculture and Food, Dr. Lozana Vasileva and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deyan Stratev.
The Federal Minister Cem Özdemir welcomed the Bulgarian representatives and noted the importance of cultural and culinary exchange between the countries. The Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, shared his impressions of Bulgarian cuisine, focusing on our traditional banitsa, which made a particularly strong impression on him. European Commissioner Christophe Hansen extended special congratulations for the overall organization of Bulgaria's participation and expressed his admiration for the quality and diversity of the products presented. All three official guests highly praised the products at the Bulgarian stand, including dairy and meat products, wines, essential oils, honey, and organic products.
Bulgaria is world-famous for its essential oils, especially rose oil, and we are in first place in lavender production, Deputy Minister Dr. Lozana Vasileva told the media in Berlin. She pointed out that there is an increase in the number of producers participating in the exhibition and presenting a wide range of Bulgarian traditional products. "Last year there were 11, this year there are 14, and we hope to expand our country's presentation to visitors to this prestigious international exhibition in the future," Vasileva added.
This year, the exhibition provides an opportunity for Bulgarian manufacturers to present their goods to thousands of visitors from 60 countries, creating contacts and opportunities for international market expansion. Bulgaria is participating for the 34th time in this prestigious event, which brings together leading producers from all over the world in the food industry. This year, our country is presenting Bulgarian producers who offer visitors from all over the world a variety of canned fruits and vegetables, honey and bee products, yogurt, buffalo cheese, yellow cheese, sausage, fish products, nuts, wines, organic drinks and more. The presentation is in collaboration with leading Bulgarian associations and unions of producers in the agricultural and food industry sector.
In connection with the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany, which according to veterinary authorities, are now two, measures in Bulgaria have also been tightened, said Deputy Minister Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deyan Stratev, adding that "there are no farm animals at the exhibition in Berlin this year."
The official opening of the Bulgarian stand also included: the President of the German Farmers' Association Joachim Ruckwied, the Chairman of the Federal Association of the German Food Industry Dr. Christian von Boetticher and the Executive Director of the Berlin Fair Dr. Mario Tobias.
Today, Deputy Minister Vasileva will participate in the Global Agriculture and Food Forum. During the visit to Berlin, Deputy Minister Dr. Lozana Vasileva is also scheduled to participate in the seventeenth Summit of Agricultural Ministers GFFA 2025, where ministers from over 60 countries will discuss topics related to sustainable biomass production, the benefits of a sustainable bioeconomy in agriculture and the crises in agriculture.