08.03.2023
The Bulgarian cabinet has taken a decision to submit a declaration to the European institutions and thus to push officially for equality in the allocation of the EU subsidies for all farmers from this very year onwards when the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is discussed, said Mr. Yavor Gechev, Minister of Agriculture.
Mr. Gechev maintained that the convergence within the EU was excessively protracted. “We have been waiting for the allocation equality for years. In consequence of the war in Ukraine, we found that the countries on the Eastern flank of the Union are hit much more severely than the Western countries. And the countries on the Eastern flank of Europe are the countries that actually are allocated lower subsidies. If the EU fails to react, equality will be undermined, Mr. Gechev pointed out. “Today’s cabinet decision sends a clear signal to the European institutions and tells them what the needs of Bulgarian farmers are. The document will be submitted at the next European Council meeting,” Yavor Gechev stressed.
The cabinet approved unanimously that Bulgaria should subscribe to a position that advocates terminating the contract for the supply of vaccines with Pfizer-Biontech and should make it public at the regular meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) (Health) to be held on 14 March 2023 in Brussels. The other option is to comply with the wishes of the member states for specifically requested amounts, with a specific expiry date while the payment is to be made after the delivery, said Asen Medzhidiev, Minister of Health. “It is our firm position which upholds the national interest. We received support from the Polish Minister of Health and in recent days six other countries extended support to us,” Mr. Medzhidiev said further.
