Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture on the Future of CAP in Luxembourg

In Luxembourg, where the meeting of the EU Council on Agriculture and Fisheries is taking place, the Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture and Food, Dr. Georgi Tahov, presented the country's positions on key issues concerning the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The event, lasting two days, brings together the efforts of European agricultural ministers in search of solutions for the sustainable development of the sector.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food announced that Minister Tahov emphasized the need to create favorable conditions for agricultural producers, allowing them to maintain competitive production, while contributing to environmental protection. He highlighted the importance of adequate incentives to stimulate this dual goal.

The discussions at the session were directed towards the proposals for the CAP after 2027, with particular attention being paid to the so-called "green architecture". In this regard, Minister Tahov stressed that environmental requirements must be combined with real opportunities to increase the competitiveness of European farmers and to guarantee food security. He emphasized that environmental criteria must be clear, feasible and understandable, while maintaining a balance between the overall goals of the European Union and taking into account the national and regional specificities of individual member states.

Minister Tahov supported the exclusion of small and organic farms from the requirements of the farm management system. He also supported the possibility of applying derogations from protective practices under certain circumstances. In his words, this will provide greater flexibility and will prevent the damage to farmers in force majeure circumstances or the impossibility of implementing these practices at the farm level.

"It is necessary to ensure equal conditions for European farmers, regardless of their geographical location, while taking into account regional specificities and creating appropriate financial incentives for competitive production and environmental protection," said Minister Tahov. He also stressed that maintaining environmental ambition requires an equivalent level of support, warning that national co-financing of measures that are 100 percent funded within the current CAP could lead to a potential shortfall in support.

During the meeting, the Bulgarian Minister reaffirmed Bulgaria's support for the joint declaration of 17 member states, initiated by Austria, regarding the future functioning of an integrated and strong Common Agricultural Policy. He stressed that the rules for the CAP after 2027 should be agreed within the Council on Agriculture and Fisheries and its preparatory bodies.

BTA Agency recalls that the meeting of the EU Council on Agriculture and Fisheries lasts two days. Among the highlights of the event is the presentation by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christoph Hansen, of the Strategy for the Renewal of Generations in Agriculture.

Commissioner Hansen, along with the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Kostas Kadis, is expected to present the Annual Progress Reports on simplification, introduction and implementation in the field of agriculture for 2025, as well as on progress on simplification, implementation and enforcement for fisheries for the same year.