Bulgaria welcomes the proposals in the draft Regulation of the European Union aimed at farmers’ work reliefs and administrative burdens, Georgi Tahov said during a meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg. Minister Tahov expressed the hope that the regulation will be adopted and come into force at the beginning of 2026.
Bulgaria believes that additional funding should be provided to the budgets of the member states for the introduction of new interventions in the form of additional crisis payments. The requirement for production loss to be calculated by comparing it to the average production of the farm in the previous 3 or 5 years should be eliminated. According to Minister Tahov, the obligation for farmers to submit documents proving their production level for the past period would create a serious administrative burden.
"The loss of production should be determined either as a percentage of the damaged areas to the total area of the farm in the respective production sector, or as the amount of expenses incurred for agrotechnical activities for the cultivation of the specific crop up until the occurrence of the adverse climatic event," he added. The rules for the agricultural reserve should not be changed during the current period and it should be used to support farmers affected by natural disasters, adverse weather events or catastrophic events, the Bulgarian agricultural minister further stated.
It is extremely important for Bulgaria that the process of liberalizing trade in agricultural products is transparent and predictable, involving the full participation of member states.
An adequate, reliable and stable protective mechanism should be provided, allowing for quick action to be taken if necessary at both the EU level and for individual Member States.
Bulgaria, along with 20 other EU agriculture ministers, expressed support for preserving the independence and strategic integrity of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
Minister Tahov also stated that Bulgaria will continue its efforts to enforce high standards in fisheries control while ensuring the economic viability and improved competitiveness of Bulgarian fishing operators. Regarding fishing opportunities for the Black Sea in 2026, Bulgaria will monitor the outcomes of decisions to be adopted by the General Fisheries Commission in November 2025.