site.btaMinister Tahov Hopes for Fast-Track of EU Farmer Relief Measures

Bulgaria welcomes the proposals in the draft Regulation of the European Union (EU) aimed at  farmers' work reliefs and administrative burdens, Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov said on Tuesday during a meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg. Tahov expressed the hope that the regulation will be adopted and come into force at the beginning of 2026.

Regarding the additional crisis payments, Bulgaria believes that such funding should be allocated to the budgets of the Member States. The requirement to calculate crop losses by comparing them with the farm's average production over the past 3 or 5 years should be removed, Tahov said. The obligation to submit documents proving past production levels would impose a serious administrative burden.

"Crop loss should instead be determined either as a percentage of the damaged area relative to the total area of the farm in the specific production sector, or based on the amount of incurred costs for agrotechnical activities up to the moment the adverse climatic event occurred," he added.

The rules for the agricultural reserve should not be changed during the current programming period and should be used to support farmers affected by natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, or catastrophic events, the minister emphasized.

Transparency and predictability in liberalizing agricultural goods trade is extremely important for Bulgaria, while ensuring the full involvement of Member States. There should be an adequate, reliable, and stable safeguard mechanism that allows for rapid action when needed, both at the EU level and for individual Member States.

Bulgaria, along with 20 other EU agriculture ministers, expressed support for preserving the independence and strategic integrity of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the next Multiannual Financial Framework.

Tahov also stated that Bulgaria will continue its efforts to enforce high standards in fisheries control while ensuring the economic viability and improved competitiveness of Bulgarian fishing operators. Regarding fishing opportunities for the Black Sea in 2026, Bulgaria will monitor the outcomes of decisions to be adopted by the General Fisheries Commission in November 2025.