The main reasons for changes in the Law on Fisheries and Aquaculture is to avoid unfair competition and government’s efforts to strengthen control and traceability throughout the food chain, including in the fisheries sector on the side of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Tzvetan Dimitrov during the public debate over the draft law amendments to the Law on Fisheries and Aquaculture, held in Burgas.
"Changes in the law that have made so far have been are accidental. In recent years it became clear that many points in it are not in line with other countries, as well as the economic situation in the country. Negotiations with representatives of branch organization on these changes have been conducted by the NAFA and MAF for a whole year, said Deputy Minister Dimitrov.
Proposals on various points of the draft law were also discussed during the meeting. Branch organizations expressed views about the removal of restrictions and the determination of special zones for trawling. Questions about the utilization of resources by species such as quoting turbot and sprat, as well as delegation of governmental functions and rights to the branch organizations and registration regimes were also raised at the debate.
Public debate was held at the initiative of deputies of the political party GERB - Stoyan Gyuzelev, Dimitar Boychev and Ivan Alexiev and was prompted by the adoption of the law at first reading in the National Assembly.
The meeting was attended by the Executive Director of NAFA Ivaylo Berov, the Governor of Burgas Konstantine Grebenarov, the Mayor of Burgas Dimitar Nikolov, and representatives of branch organizations and fishermen.