In an open letter to Minister Plamen Abrovski, employees and union representatives from the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (NAFA) are demanding an official meeting with the participation of experts and system staff. They oppose the planned restructuring of the Ministry of Agriculture, under which NAFA is to be merged with the Executive Forest Agency, and insist on maintaining the agency's independent status through an alternative approach to the reform.

According to Ivan Kostadinov, chairman of the CITUB “Podkrepa” – Burgas, the threat of layoffs at NAFA is real, and in the absence of a constructive dialogue with the authorities, the teams are prepared to protest. He emphasizes that a potential lack of control over fish resources, the waters of the Black Sea, the Danube River, and major water basins carries an enormous risk. “Two agencies are being merged that have nothing in common, other than having regulatory functions. However, it is not stated who will be responsible for the major basins, the Danube, the Black Sea, or the fish resources. Who will monitor the ships at sea and will the catch be tracked?”, the union leader stated.

Kostadinov warns that the structural change could provoke serious sanctions from Brussels due to the risk of failing to fulfill projects. The specific cause for concern is a current initiative worth 120 million euros, of which 80 million euros are provided through European Union funds. The idea of creating a joint Executive Forest and Fisheries Agency continues to face sharp criticism from those working in the sector, who fear that the forced merger of institutions with different objectives will harm their operations.