Desislava Taneva will shape the agricultural requests that she will send to the EPP
Boyko Borisov convinced the attendees that the EPP stands behind the farmers
In the next programming period of 2028-2034, the EU budget for agriculture should be significantly larger. Payments should be per farm, not per hectare. Abandon voluntary environmental standards, the implementation of which makes production more expensive by 30 to 50%. Bureaucracy and administrative burden to be significantly reduced. Subsidies in EU member states should finally be equalized. Rethink agreements with third parties or groups of third parties. To return to the original purpose of the CAP – to provide food – clean and healthy, on the Old Continent.
This, in the most general terms, will recommend GERB-SDS to the European People’s Party (of which it is a member) to enter the agrarian party program for the next period 2028-2034.
The conference “European deal for farmers – the vision of EPP for agriculture in Europe” was held in Plovdiv today precisely to outline the Bulgarian position on the subject.
GERB leader Boyko Borisov took part in the conference. Desislava Taneva, the main organizer of the forum, had prepared the Bulgarian proposals to the EPP, which will be supplemented and finalized after today’s speeches.
What are the Bulgarian demands
The Chairperson of the Commission for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Desislava Taneva, read the pre-marked proposals to the EPP with the proviso that after listening to the experts, she would comply with their views. The proposals that will be submitted to the European People’s Party on March 18 are the following:
Green changes should be based on incentivizing farmers, not by penalizing them. The Ukrainian people must be helped, but this should not cause the destruction of European agricultural production. Ukraine’s accession to the EU in implementation of the 2014 agreement must be fulfilled, but along with this, the greening of Ukrainian agriculture must also take place. Bulgaria is in favor of maintaining a level playing field in the common European market, following the trade agreements that are in force, operating and assessing differences in production standards. Bulgarian farmers want income support equal to that of their colleagues in the EU. The area payment must be categorically reformed as a farm payment, for market sustainability and public benefits. Farmers in Bulgaria want real simplification of requirements and easing of administrative requirements. Ms. Taneva listed other demands, and the full document will be published next week.
Boyko Borisov: Nothing happened in the last 3 years
GERB leader Boyko Borisov took the floor to say that in the last 3 years “the retreat is visible: Nothing has happened.” He said that he got the desire to participate in today’s forum after the EPP congress in Bucharest. There, the President of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, who will be a candidate for a second term as Commission President, has clearly stated that business conditions in the EU must be improved. To have less bureaucracy, faster procedures, to pay special attention to small and medium-sized enterprises. Von der Leyen has expressed her willingness to ease the work of farmers and increase their income. “The EPP will always be on the side of our farmers,” said Boyko Borisov.
He introduced the attendees to the International Monetary Fund’s recommendations to Bulgaria from yesterday. Namely: to bring back the 20% VAT on all goods and services and to abolish the flat tax by introducing a progressive tax scale.
More speeches
The conference also made further proposals for changes in the CAP. Dimitar Zorov suggested dropping the ceilings for both European subsidies and national aid.
Tsvetan Filev requested that the transitional national aid continue to be applied in the next program period.
Simeon Karakolev illustrates the need to severely limit the administrative requirements by saying that during an inspection the farmer must present 40 documents.
Ventsislav Varbanov listed nine requests for changes, including special support for young farmers. He recommended that the meetings with the EPP should not only be pre-election, but regular.
Ilia Prodanov wished the EC to act more quickly when farmers talk about serious problems. Not to wait for six protests to take place to act.
Who were in the hall
European representatives and presidents of many branch organizations in agriculture were in the hall and took a stand. Among them were Iliya Prodanov – chairman of the National Insurance Agency, Ventsislav Varbanov – chairman of the AZPB, Dimitar Zorov – chairman of the NSGB, Simeon Karakolev – co-chairman of NOKA, Maria Stepancheva – chairman of the BAB, Kostadin Kostadinov – chairman of the BAC, Lyudmil Rabotov, chairman of SZP, Ivan Kaburov – deputy chairman of BAPOP, Stoilko Apostolov – chairman of the “Bioselena” foundation, Mariana Miltenova – chairman of NSGB, Tsvetan Filev – chairman of NAT, Stoyan Chukanov – chairman of the Association of Cattle Breeding in Bulgaria, and many farmers and processors.
The chairman of the Agricultural Academy, Prof. Violeta Bojanova, as well as the previous rector, Prof. Hristina Yancheva, also participated in the event.
There was also European participation – Adam Novak, deputy. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland and Kristin Schneider, MEP, Member of the Commission for Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI).
The former minister of agriculture and director of DF “Agriculture” Vasil Grudev took part as a moderator, but also offered his views on the next CAP and indicated the main problems facing Bulgarian and European agriculture.
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