Bulgaria, together with Romania and Slovenia and the countries from the Visegrad Group (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia) accepted a declaration supporting the broadening of the measures under the Rural Development Programme, which can be financed in 2014, both from the budget of the current, as well as from the future Rural Development Programme. At the request of our country a special text was incorporated in the declaration, which supports the enhancement of the binding support for priority agricultural sectors as early as from 2014. This happened during the meeting of the Visegrad Group plus Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, which was held in Bucharest.
At the forum, all states expressed their pleasure with the results achieved in the reform of CAP. Amongst them is a higher flexibility in the new agricultural policy of the union, continuing implementation of direct payments per area, the higher percentage of binding support for important sectors, the introduction of a scheme for small farms, and the obligatory scheme for young farmers support. The participants in the meeting jointed hands around the necessity of final completion of the reform within the shortest possible terms, in order to guarantee security and foreseeability for farmers.
Within the frames of the discussion about the measures for reducing the loss of food and food waste, Bulgaria, supported by Romania and Slovenia, proposed the setting up of a unified food bank in EU. It will be used under specific situations, similar to the present crisis with refugees from Syria. “The reaction at situations of crisis should be very timely and precise, moreover when it concerns the nutrition of people in trouble. Regardless of whether we speak about natural or humanitarian disasters, the successful coping with them is beyond the powers of one country alone and that is why we are awaiting the support of all member states”, stated Kancho Kanchev, Head of Cabinet of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Dimitar Grekov.