site.btaBulgaria Calls for Safeguard Clauses in EU Agricultural Free Trade Deals with Third Countries

Bulgaria insists that safeguard clauses should be an integral part of all free trade agreements in the agricultural sector between the EU and third countries. This transpired during a meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, said Bulgaria's Agriculture and Food Ministry on Tuesday.

At the meeting, Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Lozana Vasileva presented Bulgaria’s position on a document submitted by Poland on the necessary actions to protect sensitive agricultural sectors in the context of trade agreements with third countries. She noted that safeguard clauses should be an integral part of such deals in order to guarantee the temporary suspension of preferences in the event of a threat to EU production caused by excessive farm imports.

"Our country has repeatedly underlined the need to apply uniform requirements to goods from the EU and imported goods," Vasileva said. She stressed that the provisions on safeguard mechanisms in recent agreements should also apply to preferences granted earlier.

She said that all trade incentives in sensitive agricultural sectors which have already been granted or planned should be summarized to assess the overall impact of the concessions granted on production in the EU, its profitability and prospects.

The Deputy Minister also underlined the need to establish a special fund to compensate for possible losses suffered by the agricultural sector as a result of the entry into force of free trade agreements.

Vasileva expressed Bulgaria's position in support of an Austrian document on the strong economic pressure faced by farmers in the EU, which jeopardizes their economic viability. The document calls for a number of measures, including a temporary suspension of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for fertilizers, greater transparency and monitoring of the fertilizer market, and the temporary suspension of most-favoured-nation tariffs and the specific anti-dumping duties on fertilizers in the interest of the Union.

At the meeting, ministers discussed the role of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the context of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy. Deputy Minister Vasileva noted that Bulgaria welcomes the Strategy, which contains important elements in support of primary producers.

"However, access to finance must be strengthened, the regulatory framework should be simplified and it must be guaranteed that producers receive a fair share of the added value created," Vasileva said, adding that national specificities, the concrete needs of individual farmers and sustainable business models must be taken into account in order to provide real and rapid support. She called for an appropriate mechanism to ensure that the incentives provided do not lead to an additional administrative burden for member states.

During the meeting, the ministers also held a discussion on amendments to the Organic Production Regulation proposed by the European Commission.

Vasileva said that Bulgaria supports the proposed changes, which aim to reduce administrative burdens, increase competitiveness and update the rules to ensure protection and predictability for the organic sector.

"A clear timetable for the adoption of the regulation by the end of 2026 will ensure predictability for farmers, processors and certification bodies, and will facilitate their investment decisions," she added in conclusion.