“The agriculture ministers of the five countries remain united in their position to defend the ability of farmers to compete in the face of serious disruptions on the agricultural market, the Agriculture Minister said. The meeting took place in Warsaw, however, Minister Vatev joined via video conference due to a cancelled flight. The Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki took part in the forum, while the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Poland Margarita Ganeva attended it in person.
The five ministers discussed ways to improve the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products through solidarity corridors. Discussions focused on possible measures to be taken to ensure fair rules of competition for farmers in the EU and candidate states, including the extension of import restrictions beyond September 15.
Minister Vatev stressed that fair competition on the common market needs importers of agricultural products to respect the same requirements as EU farmers: conditions that take into account the environment, animal welfare and good agricultural practices. The Bulgarian Minister emphasized the importance of keeping the solidarity corridors open in the long term to ensure transit of Ukrainian agricultural goods to the countries where they are needed.
The ministers of the five Member States underlined that they support Ukraine and will continue to help, but agreed on a common position, which is expected to be presented at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on July 25. Bulgaria's final position will be determined by the Council of Ministers.