- 2026-07-14 “Thank you, mister president. We welcome the priorities of the Irish presidency and support its ambition for a stronger, safer, and more competitive European Union. Delivering on these objectives requires a strong and balanced m MFF. The cohesion policy, the common agricultural policy, migration and border management should receive an adequate level of funding, and cohesion remains a key tool for building resilience and competitiveness.
Let me here underline that without a sufficient progress be achieved also on the revenue side and in particular on the debate of the for the new own resources and avoiding excessive regressivity, without a substantial progress there, it will not be possible to arrive at an equitable and balanced outcome of these negotiations.
Strengthening Europe's industrial base, particularly energy intensive industries, should also remain a priority. This requires fair, technology neutral, and economically sustainable decarbonization. And in this context, the upcoming KTS revision is of particular importance for us and should reflect current geopolitical and economic realities, including high energy prices and the need to preserve industrial competitiveness.
Bulgaria, therefore, supports a more gradual phase out of free carbon emission allowances, including maintaining free allocation beyond 2034 as well as pragmatic revision of the ATS benchmarks in order to prevent carbon leakage. Thank you.”
Climate policy · Own EU resources
- 2026-07-13 “45:06 - 11:48:20): Thank you, Martin. Allow me to wish you every success to yourself and the presidency. I am certain that Ireland will achieve that.
When we talk about livestock, I am certain we would all agree that this is, at the same time, the most difficult and the most important sector, both in terms of our food security and for the preservation of our rural areas.
Unfortunately, in, the last years, thanks to competition, high, requirements to the sector, it's becoming more and more difficult to operate in and less attractive.
Yes, indeed, we do need this strategy. But in order to achieve success in the future, we need to understand the reasons which brought the which brought about the current state of livestock breeding at the moment.
We welcome, livestock as a strategic element in food security, but the strategy as such does not offer a forecast for the budgetary resources needed, to achieve the priorities set in the strategy and where the funds will come from.
This is important for the successful implementation in order to involve banks and insurers in this implementation.
We believe that there is a lack of action in the midterm that would support livestock farmers in planning their incremental investments in equipment and skilled workers in their farms.
In order to achieve increase in the own production of proteins, we noticed that there is no funding to compensate the farmers for higher price for locally produced protein. And this is particularly important for small farms and farms in the mountain areas.
They are truly dependent on the purchase of feed proteins and they are unable to produce their own.
It is also important to mention that boosting, protein crops and high protein grass in the EU requires large upfront investment. This means investment in research, development, innovation, knowledge, machinery and processing equipment.
In view of the follow-up actions, it's important to state that, the measures to improve protein autonomy will not lead to a weakening of the competitiveness of European livestock.
There should be no new administrative burden. Sufficient flexibility should be given to the member states in order to implement and take into account, the specifics at a national level.
When we talk about the monitoring, procedures, we need to look at the milk sector. The crisis is deepening and dairy farmers have no clear forecast as to how to deal with this crisis.
That's why we need to take all immediate actions in order to alleviate the pressure on them with all possible tools provided by the legislation. Thank you.”
Agricultural funding · Agriculture (green)
- 2026-07-10 “40:04 - 11:43:36): Thank you very much, Chair. First of all, I'd like to thank the Cyprus Presidency for the very constructive, very balanced approach of this, leading this dossier. And, as a second important point, just to also congratulate the Irish presidency. And I do believe that we are going to reach this council mandate agreement by the end of October. So we are keen on this, and we are going to work very hard at technical, both at the political level in order to reach this agreement by October.
On the second question in the paper, we have a few highlights to share, which are very important for our standpoint.
On the post-trading, it should be ensured that interconnection of central securities depositories does not result in excessive and unjustified costs for small central securities depositories by requiring interoperable links. And in addition, we insist on the need to exempt Central Bank operated CSDs from the requirement to establish links as investor CSDs. As such, CSDs are legally bounded by core tasks set in national law. The Bulgarian National Bank operates a securities settlement system that registers only government securities issued on the domestic market by the Ministry of Finance as an example.
On trading regarding the consolidated data provided, we should avoid amendments of the legal framework before it becomes operational and a subsequent evaluation is conducted.
Regarding asset management, we still have concerns regarding the passporting of depository services in the context of collective investment schemes. At the same time, we acknowledge the concerns expressed by other member states where access to such services remains limited. To this end, we are open to explore alternative proposals based on member states' views.
On direct supervision, we consider that the cross-border dimension should be a key element in determining significant entities subject to direct EU level supervision. Significance should be determined through a clear and objective set of criteria based on a combination of factors.
With regards to the crypto asset service providers, Bulgaria considers that direct supervision by ESMA should be limited to truly significant entities with a clear cross-border dimension.
On ESMA governance and powers with regards to the reform of the governance model, Bulgaria considers it necessary to ensure clear and proportionate allocation of competence between executive board and the board of supervisors. The executive board should be focused on operational efficiency and the new direct supervisory functions of ESMA, while the board of supervisors should retain a leading decision-making role in strategic supervisory and policy decisions.
On financing, Bulgaria supports discussion on a transition towards a model for determining contributions of national competent authorities to ESMA based on the size and characteristics of national financial markets alongside contributions from the entities subject to direct supervision. Thank you very much.”
Financial regulation
- 2026-06-29 “Bulgaria welcomes the efforts toward a more coordinated European approach to reducing poverty and social inclusion and exclusion. This is. This approach should not complement. Basically, this approach should complement. But rather than replace the national policies reflecting the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. We support the emphasis in placed on prevention, active inclusion, access to quality services and breaking the inter intergenerational transmission of poverty measures targeting children, vulnerable groups, access to social rights and better outreaching. People who are entitled to support but do not receive it but do not receive this support due to administrative or information related or other barriers, are particularly important for us. We are already implementing such an integrated approach. We have our national strategy for reducing poverty and promoting social inclusion. It reflects the concept and approach of active inclusion adopted at European level. We demonstrate a strong commitment through our national targets to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, including a specific subtarget for children. We also note a positive trend. In 2025, the number of people at risk decreased in Bulgaria by 455,000 people compared to 2019, while the number of children at risk decreased by 62,000 children. At the same time, I would like to underline several conditions for success. Once again, European framework should complement but not replace national policies and should take account to our national specificities. Duplication of existing strategy strategies, coordination mechanisms and reporting processes should be avoided. Bulgaria remains constructively engaged in strengthening the efforts to eradicate poverty. We believe that tangible and sustainable results can be achieved through early prevention, employment skills, Accessible services and targeted support for the most vulnerable groups. Thank you for your attention.”
Child poverty policy
- 2026-06-29 “Thank you president. Indeed, housing security has a direct impact on education, employability, workforce mobility and social inclusion. Therefore, we need complex, coordinated solutions and in this regard, Bulgaria is currently involved in the development of a National housing Strategy under the leadership of the Regional Development Ministry. Which strategy will set out a long term vision, including the instruments and responsibilities of the central government, local governments, the business and the civil society regarding students? Bulgaria is involved in a massive national programme to renovate student hostels, the idea being not only to improve the quality of housing, but also increase its energy efficiency and the quality of the student environment. So far, its medium income households are concerned. This is an area where we yet have to introduce targeted measures, with a particular emphasis on municipal housing funds, support for young families and their first time home incentives to improve the energy efficiency of including housing, of existing housing. Excuse me. And then, of course, public money and private money needs to be put together better. Used to be made of European funding mechanisms. Indeed. I would like to emphasize the fact that local governments needs to be incentivized further with European funding, so that they can develop municipal infrastructure to support housing development. In conclusion, what I can say is that Bulgaria does support this idea to exchange good practices amongst us in this area, but full account being taken of national specificities, the differences in market situations and social environments in member states. Thank you.”
EU housing policy
- 2026-06-26 “34:15 - 10:35:16): You very much, president. 1st of all, I'd like to start with thanks to the Cyprus presidency for all the work done. And also, Bulgaria supports the proposal on accelerating the permitting procedures and the general approach in the council on this proposal for a directive. We believe that this is a balanced basis for the upcoming negotiations with the European Parliament. We welcome the fact that key issues for Bulgaria have been reflected such as the voluntary nature of the tacit approval principle and the status of the independent facilitator. We, also count on the fact that these positions will be defended during the trialogues, giving the necessary flexibility for member states and taking into account the specific characteristics of national, legal, and administrative systems? Thank you. Thank you. So we have Malta, Luxembourg, and then finally, Ireland.”
EU policy on permitting for renewable energy projects
- 2026-06-26 “03:15 - 12:04:25): Thank you, chair. We also support the nonpaper as presented, by Czechia, and we consider it necessary to ensure realistic and practically feasible approach to the implementation of the methane regulation. Additional time is needed for adaptation and for developing the necessary standards, technical solutions, and mechanisms for monitoring, reporting, and verification so that the objectives of the regulation can be effectively achieved.
At the same time, it is important to recognize that the implementation challenges affect not only importers, but also other participants in the supply chain, including operators within the EU in the oil and natural gas extraction, transmission, and distribution sectors. We therefore believe that all affected operators should be considered and provided sufficient time to comply with the new requirements.
Bulgaria remains committed to the goals of reducing methane emissions while underlying the need to balance these goals with energy security market predictability and the proportional regulatory implementation. Thank you. And now finally, Luxembourg. Thank”
Natural gas
- 2026-06-26 “34:30 - 11:36:32): Thank you. So Bulgaria followed by Malta followed by Luxembourg. Thank you, chair, and many thanks to the presidency for the significant work done in preparing the final compromise text of the 10 e regulation. We appreciate the efforts made to address the concerns of member states regarding the inclusion of the regional context in the grid development planning as well as the focus on internal energy networks.
Couple of more specific comments on our side. 1st, we consider the compromise text in article 11 as balanced and constructive in particular regarding the approach taken with regard to the central scenario related to cross border planning, its coherence with the NEPC and national planning documents, the use of additional scenarios and sensitivity analysis as well as the continued involvement of member states throughout the process.
2nd, we support the reference included in recital 5 to member states facing specific short term challenges related to the energy transition and security of supply. We believe that this provision does not exclude member states with key transmission functions and an important role in regional interconnection, which require continuous efforts to strengthen the resilience of infrastructure and ensure stable cross border flows.
Regarding congestion revenues, in our view, further clarification would be beneficial to ensure that the costs of coordinated remedial actions or those of network investments other than projects of common interest are covered before the allocation of the 10% of the unspent annual congestion revenues from interconnections in accordance with the existing electricity market regulation.
With all these being said, we can support the council's general approach. Thank you. Thank you. So Malta, Luxembourg, and finally, Ireland.”
EU energy infrastructure integration
- 2026-06-25 “Thank you, Madam Chair. Bulgaria is seriously concerned that despite the European Commission's effort to support the implementation of the Packaging and Packaging waste Regulation, the current level of clarity remains insufficient. With the application date of approach approaching in August. A number of essential requirements, including on packaging, labelling and PFAs tests, remain insufficiently specified. This creates significant legal and investment uncertainty, especially for SMEs. In this regard, we believe that the European Commission should urgently provide a clear and consolidated timeline for the preparation and adoption of all delegated and implementing acts. We underline that timely clarification of secondary legislation and harmonised approach to implementation are key for the legally sound and technically feasible implementation of the regulation, as well as for the successful achievement of its environmental objectives. Thank you.”
Sustainable packaging
- 2026-06-25 “Madam chair, madam Commissioner. Colleagues. Bulgaria welcomes Spain's initiative to put the future of the life programme on the agenda of the Environment Council. We believe that the Life programme has a unique role to play in the architecture of European funding. As the only EU instrument fully dedicated to environment, climate and biodiversity. It has proven to create high European added value by supporting innovative bottom up projects, as well as by facilitating the implementation of the EU environmental and climate legislation at national, regional and local level. We acknowledge the efforts to integrate environmental and climate objectives into future financial instruments, but we believe that the provisions of life activities do not provide sufficiently clear and legally binding guarantees to preserve the key features its visibility, accessibility, dedicated governance model. We believe that life should remain a stand alone instrument established by a separate regulation for the period 2028 2034. Thank you.”
Nature protection and restoration in the EU
- 2026-06-25 “Thank you, Madam Chair. Following the decision of the European Commission not to continue the revision of the reach regulation, a priority actions for us are the mechanisms so that we can take full in full capacity the new class hazard classes introduced in the CLP. It is important to optimise the registration files, strengthen controls on polymers and speed up authorisation procedures for substances and groups of substances through clearer and standardised formats. Digitalisation of information is quite important along the supply chain, including electronic safety data sheets and compatibility with the European Digital Product passport. On your second question, we believe that from a legislative point of view, we need to bring closer the reach compliance gap requirements and the market surveillance authorities, customs, administrations. This will allow to seize non-compliant goods at EU external borders. We support strengthening eccas powers, including the possibility to withdraw registration numbers for incomplete or outdated files, as well as the strict application of the no data, no market principle. When it comes to non-legislative measures, it is important for reach to be synchronized with EU customs union reforms, including through the use of the EU Customs Data Hub. Particular attention should be paid to e-commerce and direct deliveries from third countries, which represent a growing challenge for the implementation of reach and CLP. Thank you.”
Classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals
- 2026-06-25 “Madam chair. Commissioner. Colleagues. Bulgaria has rich biodiversity. We have major forest resources and a large share of our territory is in the Natura 2000 network. We consider ecosystem services, natural capital and nature based solutions as part of the real economic infrastructure and a key factor for competitiveness, sustainability and well-being. To fully realise this, potential ecosystem services needs to be better integrated in economic and investment planning. The loss of biodiversity is no longer just an environmental problem, but also economic and economic and financial one. On the other hand, the good management of natural capital can stimulate sustainable growth, investment, employment and better quality of life. Here we need a reliable framework for nature credits and ecosystem services we need to foster agro ecological and restorative practices, the sustainable management of natural resources and nature based solutions, especially when it comes to adapting to climate change. It's important to focus our efforts on activities that have a real, measurable contribution not only for nature conservation, but also for nature restoration. In conclusion, I must emphasize that natural capital must be seen as a strategic asset. If we build predictable rules, if we have a clear long term link between environmental objectives and economic development, we can successfully achieve an economy that both increases competitiveness and restores nature. Thank you.”
Nature protection and restoration in the EU
- 2026-06-25 “Dear Madam President. Commissioner. Colleagues. Bulgaria appreciates the work of the presidency on this difficult and politically sensitive file. In principle, we support the update for the 2035 target for cars and the planned flexibility. But at the same time, we believe that the targets remain too ambitious. Here we think we need a more realistic trajectory or path, one that reflects the economic, commercial and social conditions. We believe that focusing on electrification creates risks of new dependencies for batteries, critical raw materials and external supply chains. Respecting the technological neutrality is our cross-cutting priority. Therefore, we support a wider range of opportunities for the use of sustainable alternative fuels. We do appreciate the substantial progress when it comes to labeling. However, we are concerned about the extension of the requirements to used vehicles, given that they do not fall within the scope of the basic act. We are also concerned about the concept of made in the EU and the currently unclear requirements for low carbon steel. For Bulgaria, it is of utmost importance to define those concepts in a timely manner and to clarify their applicability. We believe that the inclusion of other sustainable and low carbon materials would contribute to having a more balanced framework and support development in other strategic sectors. And here we support the earlier introduction of credits for low carbon materials and sustainable renewable fuels. Finally, for Bulgaria, the successful transition to clean mobility should be based on technological neutrality, economic realism and social sustainability. The regulatory framework must include not only clear and achievable achievable objectives, but also effective tools that guarantee that they can be attained. This is the only way to ensure decarbonisation, while at the same time preserving competitiveness, jobs, industrial capacity, energy security and the strategic autonomy of the EU. Thank you.”
Road transport environmental policy
- 2026-06-25 “Madam president, madam Commissioner, colleagues for Bulgaria. The sustainable management of water resources is a strategic priority for the environment, the economy and the well-being of our citizens. Our main challenges are the increased pressure due to climate change, more frequent droughts, reduced water supplies, and also high water losses in our irrigation systems. And water efficiency is a key priority. Therefore, Bulgaria is investing in the water sector with a focus on modernising the water supply and sewerage infrastructure, reducing water losses and nature based solutions. Our experience shows that the successful implementation of the European strategy requires an integrated approach with investment, effective governance, governance and innovation, and adequate European support. We're looking forward to the upcoming action plan for the digitalisation of the water sector. We believe that digital solutions for that would transform water management through more accurate monitoring. Reduction of losses early warning AI and digital solutions for streamlining the water infrastructure would be extremely useful. Accelerating investment in the water sector would require more private capital and public and private partnerships. In addition, European financial instruments need to give us enough flexibility and incentives for ambitious projects that take into account different national circumstances. In conclusion, without mobilizing significant public and private resources, we would not be able to ensure long term water security for citizens and the economy. Therefore, we need to make water resource water resilience a real investment and political priority for Europe. Thank you.”
EU policy on water management
- 2026-06-22 “Thank you, Madam Chair. Dear Commissioner. Colleagues, Bulgaria would like to thank the Cyprus presidency for the efforts on this regulation, which is important for all of us concerning the information presented and the future modernisation of the fleet. For us, this is a priority area and we will insist that the future proposal will take into account the needs of small scale fisheries in the Black Sea and the specificity of activities. Here, I would also like to point out that the efficient transformation of the fleet by modernization and replacement of engines should allow for flexibility by the Member States and ensure sufficient funding for control and collection of data. All future decisions should provide the actual possibilities to provide more to to encourage the competitiveness of our fisheries and not the opposite. Thank you.”
Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
- 2026-06-22 “Thank you. Maria. Colleagues. Commissioner, I'd like to thank the Commission for the efforts made to carry out this assessment. In our opinion, it demonstrates the that the CFP regulation implementation is highly effective and brings about actual benefits. On the first question, Bulgaria can see a strong potential to further consolidate the principle of regionalisation. We believe that if a level playing field is ensured for fishing in the Black Sea, that would strengthen the sector's competitiveness and would give a new impetus to its regional development. Due to small scale coastal fisheries vulnerability, they deserve special focus and support in the future. We believe that we need to streamline our discussion and head for simplification of rules and reduction of administrative burden. That would be an important step for the prosperity of the fishing community. On the second question, we believe that the promotion of science based approach is one of the greatest successes. Therefore, we support the maximum sustainable yield concept. It could be further developed to allow for stronger integration of factors such as climate change, pollution, use of marine space, habitat degradation and complex ecosystem interaction in scientific analysis. Then the energy crisis brings to the fore the need of more flexible solutions. They should take into account the actual possibilities for modernisation and renewal of the fishing fleet. Thus, decarbonisation will be facilitated by means of greener engines and the deployment of various innovative and low emission technologies. By way of conclusion, I'd like to point out our country's firm position that the CFP ought to retain its autonomy while the existing regulation, with its integrated approach to harmonising its three fundamental pillars, that is, the environmental, economic and social ones offer an indispensable legal framework for EU fisheries management. Thank you.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- 2026-06-22 “Thank you Maria. As regards the proposal for a regulation on plant reproductive material, we thank the presidency for their efforts, which led to a provisional agreement between the core legislators regarding the proposal for a regulation on the protection of animals during transport. We welcome the progress made in the negotiations. This is a step in the right direction so that we establish a clearer and more harmonised legal framework ensuring high animal welfare standards. We maintain our position that a balanced approach should be found between measures and standards in place, and the existence and development of the sector. Affected sectors should be preserved in order to protect the livestock sector and the food security. We believe that the requirements to increase the authorised space in the means of transport in the vehicles and to limit the capacity, journey times and number of rest periods, should not proportionally lead to a large increase in the number of transport trips. Such a scenario would have a negative effect on carbon dioxide emissions. We thank the Cyprus presidency for actively working on this file. Thank you.”
EU requirements on animal welfare for farmers
- 2026-06-22 “Thank you. Maria. Bulgaria acknowledges how serious the situation presented by Romania's. We support Romania's proposal concerning greater flexibility in the use of exemptions and derogations from the strict protection under article 16 of the Habitats Directive. Meanwhile, we believe that any modification in brown bear management rules need to be based on objective assessment of the population Status in the relevant member states concerned. We need an in-depth analysis of the effects on the conservation of the species within their natural range. Changes to the annexes should not be adopted without taking into account the biological features of the species and preserving the balance in the hard achieved conservation progress.”
Large Carnivores
- 2026-06-22 “Thank you. Maria. Commissioner. Colleagues. I'd like to thank the European Commission. Um, this assessment of the CFP, uh, in the area of tourism and the situation of the sectors, the result of all the efforts put. Most importantly, we can see the actual results of the various instruments within that policy framework. The fact that sustainability, increases and fish stocks are restored, albeit slower than expected. Give grounds for optimism if, however, look at the Black Sea turbot, fish stock preservation and increase, uh gives us hope that we are heading the right way in managing that species, having overall and sustainable development of fisheries in our country. Um, need to take into account economic interests, social rights and environmental conditions in full balance will take a lot of efforts by all of us. The reality over the past few years has shown that it's possible to have progress in the Black Sea. However, we've seen strong vulnerability to factors beyond our reach. Therefore, I believe the future of fisheries in the Black Sea depends on some key factors, such as better scientific advice and quality data taking into account external data. Focus is needed on the specifics of small scale fisheries in our area. We also need a level playing field and long term predictability for the sector. We believe that our joint efforts with the European Commission will help us have progress on all those in terms of fishing opportunities, um, next year. Our country will be following the decisions to be made by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean later this year. Thank you.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- 2026-06-22 “Thank you. Maria. Bulgaria finds the questions raised by Belgium as well-founded and in line with scientific opinion. They're also in line with the practical experience and the significant improvement in the epizootic situation with BSE, and that improvements both in the EU and globally. We support the discussion to change the requirements of regulation 999 of 2001. Those changes, however, has to be based on scientific risk assessment and should be in line with WOH requirements.”
Animal diseases prevention and management in the EU
- 2026-06-16 “Thank you very much, Marilena. We appreciate very much the the work done on the preparation of the the texts first on the national and regional partnership plans. As I mentioned during the previous discussion, there are a number of elements that we welcome that lead to more clarity and improve the the overall framework. At the same time, a number of important concerns remain unaddressed, particularly with regard to simplification, to the overall governance framework, legal certainty and predictability of funding. We consider also that certain cap related provisions may need to be revisited in light of the ongoing negotiations on the sectoral cap regulations, and in this context, Bulgaria supports a joint statement also shared by Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania, which underlines that the future approval of the general approach on the Cap regulations may require adjustments to the Cap related elements in the National and Regional Partnership plans regulation and preserves the right to initiate such changes. In view of, uh, this, uh, taking note, of course, uh, again of, uh, the important positive elements. We still remain insufficiently satisfied by other elements in the text, and we are going to abstain on this one.”
Agriculture (green)
- 2026-06-16 “On the European Competitiveness Fund, we appreciate the greater focus on small and medium size enterprises and the improvements, uh, regarding business support and national contact points, which will facilitate the access to funding. We also share the view of other delegations, uh, pointing out that the principle of technological neutrality, uh, must be guaranteed. Uh, there are other elements that are important to us, uh, which are not sufficiently taken into account, such as, uh, the pan-European coverage and the broader participation of companies from across Sir, the EU some steps in a good direction. Notwithstanding, we are not entirely satisfied with the results in our view. Further work is needed to achieve a better balance in the text and on this one we also have a joint statement, together with Slovenia and Hungary, on the need to continue working on the fund's implementation modalities. As to the global Europe, we can support the text. And I would just recall that we have a declaration that was already presented and distributed. So I am not, uh, going back to it. Thank you very much.”
EU industrial funding (mechanism level: EU-pooled vs nationally-financed)
- 2026-06-16 “We we don't see any reason, any economic reason for reintroducing them. As regards the proposed reductions of on the expenditure side, we agree here with the approach of the presidency. We continue to believe that there should not be horizontal cuts across the programmes or headings. At the same time, we are disappointed that the N plus one decommissioning rule has been maintained, and that the brackets around the proposed 105% capping of member states allocations is now firmly set in the text, with the removal of the brackets. Last but not least, in the in the text presented, we don't see adequately reflected the challenges that are facing the Union's eastern border regions and in particular the ones around the Black Sea. Given the strategic. Challenges that we we have in the region today, this issue deserves a much, a much better and much stronger reflection in the text. And in conclusion, I can agree with other colleagues also saying that, uh, we appreciate the effort, but we are just in the beginning of the road. There is still much, much to be done. Uh, in order for our leaders to, to be, uh, ready to discuss and to agree on, on the box and Bulgaria on our side, we remain ready to be constructive but also firm in this upcoming discussions. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Ivanka.”
Size of EU budget
- 2026-06-16 “Thank you very much, Marilena. And from our side as well. Thank you very much to the Cypriot presidency for all the work done and for the presentation to the of the box. And of course, uh, thank you, Commissioner, for the presentation of the Commission's, uh, views. At this point, uh, I can say that, uh, with the presentation, we see, uh, changes introduced, uh, considerable changes introduced in the text. And, uh, we think that we need to analyze them very carefully with the view of the goal of getting a well-balanced compromise text. Uh, first, on the positive sides. If what we see in the the text presented by the the presidency. Uh, we welcome the approach to keep member states, uh, allocations under the, uh, national and regional partnership plans outside of the scope of the proposed cuts. We think that this is an important positive development compared to the approach proposed by the Commission. Now, however, on the much less positive side, uh, and in particular on the proposed top ups or the so-called the additional amounts to be made available to member states benefiting from the cohesion policy. In principle, of course, we very much and strongly support, uh, getting more money, uh, for the cohesion policy in the framework of the MFF. However, uh, for us, uh, it's a bit, um, problematic that these proposals were made at this particular point of the negotiations, because at the moment they're trying to address some of the issues that are related only to the problems that the expenditure side of the budget, without acknowledging the strong regressivity and imbalances in the revenue side, which still needs to be substantially corrected, uh, and, uh, introduced in this, uh, this stage, the proposals actually, we think affect the overall negotiation process.”
Cohesion and rural funding
- 2026-06-16 “And, uh, there will need to be, uh, another attempt at a later stage to address the serious issues that still remain because in the revenue section of the negotiating box, uh, we see, uh, not changes practically, In our view, this is one of the main reasons why the overall package still lacks the necessary balance. And this is worrisome in the context of the financial equation of the the future MFF. Given the. Again, the very regressive nature of the proposed new own resources, we do not see any realistic prospects of getting to a significant progress in the negotiations without further and considerable. That adjustments at this site. In this regard, I would also like to recall a point that was made by all the Member States that supported the cohesion declaration adopted at a meeting at our meeting in May. The abolition of the rebates linked to the NI based on resources. It is a must for us.”
Own EU resources
- “Thank you. Luis. Commissioner colleagues. Bulgaria believes that greater flexibility of the implementation process and adaptation of the strategic [00:54:00] plans would give us added value to the cap. As soon as we have the first annual reports, the results and indicators and amounts would have to be modified. So we would encourage the Commission to show flexibility with the amendments of the plans, including [00:54:30] as regards the indicators. In addition, we believe that there is a need to offer opportunities to national authorities to impose less stringent requirements on beneficiaries. The most recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy introduced significant policy changes. We must now work to promote reform and its successful implementation in the long Terme to ensure stability and predictability for farmers. We cannot continue to want more efforts to be made by [00:55:00] farmers without accompanying that by additional support. High prices for seeds, fertilizers, preparations, volatility in agricultural sales prices, reduced farmers incomes, difficult weather, weather conditions and inflation have put the competitiveness and profitability of the sector under great strain. In order to maintain agricultural production in the EU, we need to carefully assess all the new requirements [00:55:30] we put on farmers in order to prevent a massive exit from the sector and put into question food security in the EU. Bulgaria supports the Slovak Republic document on the external convergence of direct payments. We also believe that the impact. Of the persistent divergence of direct payments on EU farmers in view of the challenges they face, needs to be assessed. An ambitious target for the external convergence of direct payments will play an important role in ensuring fair, sustainable and competitive [00:02:30] agriculture in the EU.”
Direct payments to farmers (pillar 1)
- “Thank you, madam chair, commissioner. We welcome the extension of the work plan for culture post 2026 for a period of 3 years. We believe the future work plan has to be underpinned by the understanding that culture is the only sector that can both contribute to the well-being of the union and its citizens, but also play a key role on the external presence and image of the EU.
That understanding should be coupled with a rational approach. We ought to rethink some long standing priorities and the actual need of keeping them. It might be worth reformulating some to render them more pragmatic and add value in view of emerging common and future challenges alongside challenges we haven't had sufficient exchange on.
The plans, will gain more gravity if developed in parallel with the culture compass. Most of the compass topics are relevant. However, we, due to our limited time and resources, we would need to make an objective selection and avoid overlaps.
First of all, we believe the impact of AI and culture should be prioritized. Creators' remuneration is important in the era of generative AI. Therefore, human creativity has to be preserved and fostered as a fundamental asset.
Ethical use of artificial intelligence in the area of culture, creativity, and art has to be ensured in order to preserve the union's cultural diversity.
Within an expert working group, member states could share good practices and experience on the balance between promoting the use of technologies and AI among the cultural and creative sectors to promote human creativity via various incentives.
The future of AI strategy in the cultural and creative sector could be an important tool to that end.
A focus needed on conservation and preservation of cultural heritage to ensure social resilience, territorial, and social cohesion.
While in some cases, tangible cultural heritage might be more vulnerable, for instance, in the event of climate change or human intervention, there are, however, risks to intangible cultural heritage. It is also part of our shared European heritage and particularly relevant to the union's cultural diversity.
Objective to promote culture led regional, territory and local development. We believe it would be useful to allow for exchange of good practices between member states. Such exchange could generate concrete recommendations or European initiatives.
The funding for culture and creative sectors should be addressed as a matter of priority going beyond resources made available nationally or at European level.
Focus is needed on alternative sources of funding and attracting private funding through philanthropy, PPPs, in our key financial approaches to complement public funding.
Attracting a wide range of stakeholders would be instrumental to raise awareness of the mutual benefits and dialogue.
We could do that via various conferences and forums to discuss good practice and developments.”
EU and national cultural identities
- “Thank you. Chair. Maintaining Europe's industrial leadership should be a priority in the design of sectoral policies. The present security supply of energy are key prerequisites for decarbonisation. Given the current energy price differences with those of our global competitors, the sectoral plan sufficiency will remain limited. Investments in networks, baseload capacity and mechanisms for stable industrial prices are needed. We support the presented industrial action plans. Meanwhile, transition should be gradual, technology neutral and aligned with investment capacities. Large scale deployment of technologies still undergoing testing and economic viability. Assessments such as low carbon hydrogen creates a risk of de-industrialisation. Regarding Cbam, we maintain the position that the free allocation of allowances should be preserved for as long as possible in view of the continued genuine risk of relocation of production outside the Union and the related economic and social consequences, particularly for member states at the external borders of the EU such as Bulgaria, SMEs need targeted support for modernisation and clean technologies. We need also safeguarding employment and investing in skills. The increasing complexity of procedures and compliance costs are big obstacles to growth and competitiveness in the chemical chemical market, and not only we need comprehensive impact assessments and systematic competitiveness and innovation checks of new policies and ensuring that the cumulative burden of the different pieces of legislation does not hamper competitiveness and innovation potential.”
Energy (green transition)
- “We support many of the measures in the automotive package and welcome the proposals in the automotive omnibus. However, it does not provide sufficient guarantees for genuine technology neutrality and long term industrial resilience, nor does it take due account sufficiently of the specificities of the member states. Bulgaria is a producer of components of systems and software. It is therefore of particular importance for us that the European automotive value chain is preserved, and that the role of suppliers is taken into account. If policies focus solely on the final product, without guaranteeing incentives for European content and local production, we risk losing production capacity, jobs and energy in engineering. Engineering expertise to achieve our climate goals and at the same time strategic autonomy and sustainable growth. We need to ensure three conditions competitive energy prices, clear and predictable regulatory environment, and effective protection against unfair competition. Only under these circumstances will sectoral plans deliver tangible industrial outcomes. Thank you.”
Vehicle content rules: mandatory EU components vs. open global sourcing for carmakers
- “Mr. chairman. Mr. Commissioner, the Republic of Bulgaria Gary, who welcomes the vision of the European Commission for the Sustainable Management of Oceans and Seas set out in the European Oceans Pact for this vision to be effective. We believe that it is necessary to set realistically achievable targets and apply a regionally sensitive approach. This approach should take into account the need for a balance between environmental objectives and economic realities. Also the specificities of the different sea basins. The limited applicability of European Union law to basins shared with third countries, and the role of regional sea conventions as a natural platform for cooperation in this context. Bulgaria supports the application of the source to sea approach and considers that imposing limits, including catch quotas, must be tailored to regional specificities and must ensure a level playing field between member states and third countries. We view the limited monitoring and laboratory capacity, as well as the duplication and fragmentation of reporting and management requirements across various legislative acts, as key challenges with regard to the Marine Strategy Framework Framework Directive, in order to improve the reliability of the assessments of the state of the marine environment. We support better coherence between legal instruments and streamlining reporting. In conclusion, I confirm that Bulgaria remains committed to achieving the EU wide objectives in the field of marine policy. We support a fair approach based on solidarity, flexibility and realism that Had guaranteed sustainable future of our seas and oceans. Thank you for your attention.”
Decarbonisation of maritime transport
- “Thank you. Chair. Bulgaria [00:37:00] welcomes the efforts to strengthen the rights of victims. And to create conditions for the more effective exercise. We believe that we should strive for improved legal framework, plus organisational measures that will facilitate victims in exercising their rights as to the compensation mechanism. We believe that the [00:37:30] right of the victim to seek compensation within the framework of the criminal proceedings should be only an option, but not an obligation, because victims should be free to seek compensation in civil proceedings as well. Moreover, we believe that the obligation of the state to be subrogated in the rights of the victims should be applicable only to [00:38:00] pecuniary damage and only for a certain number of offences. As to non-pecuniary damage, that would be an unproportional burden on the Member States. Now the second question, the Barinas model. We believe that the directive should be as flexible as possible. When [00:38:30] the support services are organized in the initial stage, this model has its place. But when the member states have a comprehensive, structured approach human resources facilities, it would be very difficult to adjust an existing system to the in-house model. Therefore, we would like to see more flexibility. Thank you.”
EU policy on victims' compensation rights
- “Mr. president, Commissioner. Colleagues. The Republic of Bulgaria supports Italy's call for a future legislative framework that also that supports a productive, competitive and profitable livestock sector. On the other side, it should be attractive to younger generations. The new requirements in their current form would impose a financial and technical burden on businesses and carriers and will create unjustified additional costs and unsustainable measures. We believe that optimal transition periods are needed and a balanced approach is needed between the measures put in place and the continued existence, sustainability and development of the affected sectors. Thank you.”
EU requirements on animal welfare for farmers
- “Thank you very much indeed, European Commissioner for this proposal, Bulgaria. We can support the UN's proposals on sustainable development and how we can try and eradicate forced labour. The aims we have here in this proposed regulation were discussing we need an impact assessment to think of the legislative proposal. So we need to look at certain questions as to how we can properly implement this administrative burden on companies and the administrative burden when it comes to financial resources on member states and the idea of infringements. Article three. Economic operators. Shouldn't be allowing onto the market. Any products that have been manufactured using forced labor. When it comes on not placing on the market to these products. Well, for that you would have to make sure that there has been forced labor during production. So the burden of proof should be put on the bodies and authorities in member states. Member state authorities aren't competent to look at the whole production and supply chain, so the commission should be the competent there. That is a possible solution to the issue. The Spanish proposal having a centralized approach when it comes to research investigation, that's going in the right sense. Going in the right direction. But that should be implemented. As of the debate, not as of the vote. So we need enough time to have an in-depth discussion. Thank you.”
EU policy on labour exploitation in global supply chains
- “Thank you. President. Commissioner. [00:19:00] In the course of the lengthy negotiations on this legislative proposal, Bulgaria has always expressed its support for its adoption, because there is a need to extend the existing legal framework in the EU beyond the current protection in the field of employment. Progress here is not only about our shared values, [00:19:30] but will also bring considerable economic benefits. Over the years, our country has held the opinion that work on this file should continue in a manner that addresses the concerns of all Member States, sticks to the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity, and respects national competences, especially in the field of education, social protection and family law. Taking into account the significant [00:20:00] progress in addressing open points in the course of negotiations, including under the Belgian presidency, Bulgaria can support the adoption of a general approach on the directive and calls for bringing this file to a speedy conclusion. Thank you.”
EU competences on social policies
- “Chairman. Mrs. Manzato colleagues. Bulgaria welcomes the achieved progress in the negotiations on the file the draft proposes offers additional opportunities to support workers affected by imminent displacement in enterprises undergoing restructuring. At the same time, our country still has concerns over the administrative burden which the proposed changes in the regulation will create from the Member states. Besides, we take into account the proposed termination of the fund in the Multiannual Financial Framework for the following programming period and the existing demarcation line with the European Social Fund. This is why Bulgaria believes that a similar support could be provided under simplified procedures and without co-funding, co-funding co-financing under the Cohesion policy. This is why Bulgaria will abstain from supporting the proposed general approach. Thank you and good luck.”
European Globalisation Adjustment Fund
- “Thank you. Thank you. President. Commissioner. Colleagues. Environmental requirements should be combined with opportunities to increase the competitiveness of European farmers to ensure food security. Environmental criteria addressed to our farmers must be clear, feasible and understandable. It is also important to maintain a balance between the common basis of of a union nature and the national specificity of Member states. With regard to protective practices, we believe that they largely overlap with the existing standards already applied, the so-called cakes. We support the exclusion of small and organic farms from the requirements of farm stewardship, and also, under certain conditions, uh, for them to be possible to derogate from protective practices that would allow for greater flexibility to meet force majeure circumstances and would protect farmers from sanctions should they be unable to implement protective practices. It is also a good opportunity to have these transitional action plans. The possibility to. To finance such plans may prove to be a good incentive to to move on to sustainable models, but it would hardly amount to a simplification given all the accompanying requirements to this transitional plan. It is essential for a single to to look for a single basis for European farmers, regardless of their geographical location. However, being mindful of national specificities, it is also necessary to to create the right conditions for farmers, wherever they are, to be competitive by also contributing to environmental protection. And that again would mean financial incentives. The a consistent policy must provide adequate support to farmers. The National cofinancing for measures which are now 100% EU funded, is a prerequisite for a potential deficit in support. The green architecture proposed as it is, may contribute to a simplification and to a better reflection of national specificity. This would allow Member States to pick and choose the best instruments, given their local conditions, and reflect those in national plans. In conclusion, we reaffirm our support for the Austrian statement. We strongly believe that the post 27 should be agreed upon within this council and its preparatory bodies. Thank you.”
Agriculture (green)
- “Thank You dear colleagues, I would like to thank the Presidency and Sir Pesaridis for taking an up-to-date look at this topic which is of key importance for us. Managing technological transformation requires us to put people at the center. This is why for Bulgaria the key is in the skills of the workforce. Investing in artificial intelligence only makes sense if it goes hand in hand with systematic upskilling, reskilling, and lifelong learning in order to effectively exploit its potential. It is therefore essential to improve skills.
This is a topic on which we are actively working in Bulgaria by upgrading the national labor market and skills forecasting system. We take into account the effects of the digital and green transitions and the emergence and disappearance of occupations.
Let me give a concrete example of the success of this approach in Bulgaria. Recent Eurostat data confirmed that the Bulgarian South Central region leads in terms of growth of gross domestic product among all 244 regions in the Union with an impressive eleven point six percent. One of the reasons for this growth is the digitalization of medium-sized enterprises in the cities of Plovdiv and Haskovo, which increases labor productivity. This is a strong, very concrete example of how investment in training works as a productivity booster.
Second, workers' rights. We must recognize that algorithmic management can bring efficiency but also there is a risk of excessive control and automatic decisions. It is therefore important for us to ensure transparency, information, and the right to have decisions that affect labor rights reviewed by a human.
New forms of employment are a challenge to existing legislation. In this regard, we believe that the algorithmic management framework should be part of the upcoming Quality Jobs Act.
Third, social dialogue is becoming increasingly important given the extremely rapid pace of change. The deployment of artificial intelligence in the workplace must be done in close cooperation and consultation with the social partners. This is particularly necessary in sectors and the platform economy where the risk of low-quality jobs is most acute.
Our goal of fully exploiting the opportunities of artificial intelligence for innovation and new quality jobs can be successfully achieved with clear guarantees of fairness, transparency, and human control within the framework of increased and effective investment in human capital. Thank you.”
Artificial Intelligence
- “Thank you. Chair. Vice president. Ministers. Bulgaria welcomes the establishment of the ECF as a main instrument to support innovation, technology and business in the EU. For our ECF success, it is important to have strong coordination resource optimization, Thus fairness and efficiency in funding will be ensured while maintaining the geographical balance. Further efforts are needed to duly take into account individual national context, including specifics related to economic development, social structure, and regional disparities. In particular, effectiveness could be achieved by applying the so-called market referendum. When projects are assessed, the ability of projects to attract private funding will facilitate the selection of quality bids tailored to market needs that will provide further evidence of their quality. As a result, we will have a more focused use of public resources projects over a certain threshold. In addition, could also use capital markets to reach Acf's objectives. It would also be useful to create conditions for reshoring. Additional bonus will be given when projects are evaluated. If companies from countries and regions on the EU's periphery are involved in their supply chain chains, that would contribute to strengthening strategic autonomy and reducing dependence on vulnerable global supply chains, as well as supporting employment and growth in local economies. Furthermore, the possibility of introducing preferences for companies based in countries that are more negatively affected by the war in Ukraine is worth considering. We recognise the added value of the simplified structure proposed by the Commission that would lead to speeding up the processes and reducing the administrative burden for businesses. It's necessary to ensure access to finance for the small and medium sized enterprises. To maintain the role of national evaluation units for European Project Bulgaria underlines the importance of striking a balance between grants and financial instruments in the fund, removing administrative barriers and securing access to funding for SMEs. Thank you.”
"Buy European" provisions
- “Thank you chair. We would like to remind you that the full Liberalization of import from Ukraine resulted into serious issues within the agricultural sector of all five countries. That's why we should analyze the situation and not do the same mistake again. We still support Ukraine. We are not against trade with the EU, but we don't want this to affect the competitiveness and result into bankruptcy of farmers in our countries. That's why we would like to call to the Commission to take into account the declaration and the measures suggested.”
Agricultural trade: Ukraine imports
- “It promotes individual approach and increases student performance. One very good example of effective synergy between the educational and scientific sectors is the academies and internships programmes of the Institute for computer and AI research within Sophia University. This program offers an opportunity for talented students to engage in the development of. The latest technologies and research in the field of AI under the guidance of researchers from. The Institute. On the 3rd of March, we have we launched the first model in Bulgarian. Bg gpt and it can be used free of charge by anyone and pedagogy students learn how to use it when working with students for a text analysis, exercises, etc. we also believe that apart from national measures, we need actions at European level for projects to the application of AI in education, peer learning and joint initiatives. As a good practice, we can refer to the upcoming International Olympiad on AI hosted by Bulgaria in August this year. It is important to note that the use of AI in education needs to be carefully managed, taking into account social, ethical and security aspects and ensuring the leading role of teachers. Thank you.”
Research priorities within the EU
- “So I'll continue. Well, actually, I'll start the last sentence. So the EU needs. A more active, ambitious, strategically coordinated response to increase the competitiveness of its agriculture and the productivity of its producers, or while keeping in place the rules of the single market and ensuring its strategic autonomy. Thank you very much.”
Agriculture (green)
- “Mr. president, Mr. Commissioner, dear colleagues, Bulgaria shares the view that a strong and well-funded and predictable Common Agricultural Policy, based on its two pillar structure, is essential to ensure the food security of the European Union. The same is true of the Common Fisheries Policy, which is an essential pillar of the sustainable management of marine resources in the European Union and is a strategic importance for the sustainable development of the maritime sector across the EU. We strongly disagree with the intentions to create a single fund and a national plan, bringing together all sectors which would undermine the effectiveness, flexibility and specificity of both policies. The existence of separate funding instruments for agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture is not only justified, but also necessary in view of the differences in the structures and needs of the sectors and the need for targeted support for territorial and socially balanced development. Thank you very much.”
Funding for fisheries and aquaculture · Agricultural funding
- “Thank you, Madam President. An agreement on the budget for the next year within the conciliation period must be our common goal today. It should not be linked to the current revision of the MFF, even though the latter will have an important impact on the EU budget in the years. In the next years. After reaching an agreement on the MFF revision, the budgetary adjustments could be reflected through an amending budget. A top priority for us is ensuring an adequate level of payment appropriations, especially for the cohesion policy, in order to continue speeding the implementation of the programmes under the current MFF. Taking also into account that the updated increased forecasts for Member States from July have not been reflected in the amending letter. Another issue I would like to point [00:33:30] out is the need for a moderate increase by €3.25 million for the Europol's budget as the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats impact financed through it faces continuous underfunding, including for the next two years. The impact has proven since its first implementation in 2012, to be the main instrument at EU level for setting, implementing and reporting priorities in the fight against organised crime. According to the preliminary [00:34:00] estimates, the resources for the impact available for 2024 would be sufficient only for the first 4 to 5 months of the next year, and this would let would lead to the impossibility of implementing the specific activities and goals of the platform.
[00:34:20] Let me also add that we could support the increase for military mobility proposed by the by the European Parliament. And to conclude, setting an appropriate level of payments for next year is important in order not to put unnecessary pressure on payments and not to additionally increase the record level of outstanding commitments. Thus, we will expect any increase in commitment appropriations during the negotiations with the Parliament to be accompanied by a proportional increase in payments. We also expect the declaration for payments to be part of the final agreement. Although the positions of the European Parliament and the Council diverge in some aspects in the course of the negotiations, we believe [00:35:00] that with common efforts and a mutual willingness to compromise on the basis of realistically defined needs and possibilities, the ultimate goal of a timely and balanced agreement on the 2024 budget could be achieved, and I wish best of luck to the Spanish presidency in this difficult process. Thanks.”
Size of EU budget
- “Dear Maria, Commissioner colleagues, first of all I would like to thank you for your welcome. I'm happy that after 2022, we are all in the same boat rowing through the stormy waters of European policy. Bulgaria supports the strategic framework, uh, on the energy transition in the sector and the future vision for the development of fisheries and aquaculture by 2040. Bulgaria is facing a number of structural challenges such as outdated and ageing fishing vessels, business uncertainty, and of course, the natural specificities of the Black Sea. Our fishing vessels are fairly old, which makes investment in new technologies, more efficient energy systems and solutions that reduce emissions and fuel consumption. Critically important. We focus considerable attention on small scale coastal fishing. In our particular case, it has a very important social and economic role for the country. For us, it is key to promote the development of aquaculture and the processing of fish and fishery products in order to guarantee food chains to diversify production and reduce the pressure on wild fish stocks. The European regulatory framework should provide this flexibility to member states and to help implement measures to modernize and adapt fishing capacity to available resources through clear, Predictable and secure rules. The energy transition requires significant investments and what other countries have shared. They are rarely accessible to the smaller operators, which means that we have to make them accessible. Regional cooperation, including within the Black Sea, is essential to developing effective solutions. Bulgaria fully supports Italy's proposal in the context of the current geopolitical environment. Fuel prices are rising and the tendency is expected to persist. This increase directly makes us question the economic viability of the sector. The same applies to aquaculture and processing, where the price of fuel is a direct component of the production cost and the viability of the sector. In this context, we need a timely amendment of the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund Regulation in order to provide the legal basis to support the sector, and we call on the Commission to ensure swift and smooth payment to beneficiaries. Thank you.”
Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
- “Thank you. Maria. Commissioner. Colleagues. For understandable reasons, more than 90% of the Bulgarian fishing fleet is made up of small vessels engaged in in really small scale coastal fishing. And we know what the challenges are. We know their names. It's geopolitics. No level playing fields, economic vulnerability, socio economic crisis, climate change and competition in maritime space. So to ensure the survival of the sector, we need predictable, sustainable support. The lightest of administrative burdens possible. Easy financing instruments so that we can support small scale coastal fishing without placing any hurdles in its way. And again, finally, it is necessary to adopt a regional approach. The Black Sea is one thing, and so the 2040 vision for fisheries and aquaculture should reflect that. Thank you.”
Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
- “Thank you, Louis. The Republic of Bulgaria supports fully the Austrian document. We support the view that greening measures must strike the necessary balance with the objectives of the EU strategic autonomy and food security as well. It is important to strengthen active and sustainable agricultural production, and to recognize the need to preserve [00:08:30] all agricultural land under production. We support the need for a comprehensive assessment of the Green Deal legislation and its impact on EU agriculture. Thank you.”
Agriculture (green)
- “Chair. Commissioner. Colleagues. Slovakia. Risk to. Money. For that reason, we have suggested in June to extend the expenditures, timelines and the deadline as well to amend the fund between 2014 2022 and the financial, uh, closures. So Bulgari has suggested the introduction of complete derogation for the 2024 budget. And then there was broad support of this proposal. It is important to note that any delays in the implementation for rural development has to do with the Covid crisis and the war in Ukraine. We all remember the protests of farmers. We cannot afford to lose any more money.”
Agricultural funding
- “Thank you. Maria. Thank you Christoph. Dear colleagues, to begin with, I too will say that we are already providing a helping hand to our southern neighbors who have unfortunately been hit by this health crisis. We appreciate what the Commission has done during the first year since the adoption of the vision. This concrete results already on the main priorities, and we believe that what is in the pipeline, uh, is also very important given the rising geopolitical, economic and climatic changes. Further efforts will indeed be needed first and foremost to us, what is key is for the Common Agricultural Policy to maintain its autonomy and its adequate budget, given the rising production costs and market Volatility cap must continue to provide stable and predictable support through direct payments, coupled support and investment instruments. It is also necessary to continue with the efforts to converge in terms of direct payments between Member States. Progress in the strengthening of the market position of farmers should be built upon by effective enforcement of controls against unfair trading practices and greater transparency along the supply chain. Strengthening risk and crisis management tools should lead to a more effective and accessible crisis support system, and everything must be developed in a way that takes into account the real capabilities of of farmers and does not overburden them either financially or administratively should bear in mind also the infrastructure available and what national budgets can do, bioeconomy, echo services, etc.”
Direct payments to farmers (pillar 1)
- “Thank you David. Commissioners colleagues. [00:44:30] Given the growing challenges, the European Union needs a stable system to ensure security of supply and affordability of food for citizens, as well as stability of farmers income. We. All see the protests, farmers protests in so many member [00:45:00] states. And this. Makes us ask ourselves serious questions about what is going on in the current agricultural policy, and we need to talk to discuss the future of the agricultural policy in Europe. Support should be fair in order to avoid inequality among EU farmers. Other necessary conditions are to guarantee certainty [00:45:30] for the business. Stable Legislative provisions. Simplified consistent logical requirements. A balance must be struck between the Union's growing environmental and climate ambitions and ensuring economic sustainability along the agri food chain. Priority should be given to new technologies and innovations, which can increase increase productivity and competitive and competitiveness, and reduce [00:46:00] energy dependence and greenhouse gas emissions. Significant additional efforts are also needed to further reduce the vulnerability of the European agri food system and its dependence on external supplies of basic raw materials such as fertilisers, crop protection products feed natural gas. The main objective of this strategic dialogue should be to strike a balance between the economic well-being of farmers, [00:46:30] environmental protection and social justice. Thank you.”
Agriculture (green)
- “Thank you very much, chair. Commissioner, colleagues, Bulgaria supports the general approach on the proposed regulation on European business wallets and welcomes the fact that most of Bulgaria's comments have been reflected in the text.
Particularly, we welcome the recognition of existing systems and the need to ensure compatibility between national and European infrastructure, the strengthened framework for mandates and authorization, better security requirements, and the linking of certain deadlines to the adoption of implementing acts.
Another positive element is the partially reconsidered model for the QERDS. Here, the focus shifts from a single service towards a protocol, standards, specifications. At the tame same time, there are certain issues that remain. For example, the need to ensure, that national public electronic delivery systems can be used as a compatible channel.
Bulgaria also considers it desirable to further revive point 11 of the annex to exclude interpretations that would support a centralized solution. We also think it's important to ensure that, the voluntary nature of this, provision for economic operators should be preserved.”
Electronic identity
- “Thank you chair. Dear colleagues. Well first thanks are in order to both the Commission for the developed proposals and also to the Cyprus presidency for pushing this agenda forward. Bulgaria strongly supports both the market integration and supervision package, as well as the Savings and Investments Union. So on the questions that we are debating today, we believe that unified supervision should be applied to entities with significant pan-European activity, both for crypto asset service providers as well as for trading venues and central securities depositories. In principle, we are not in favour of centralising supervision over smaller providers, particularly for financial institutions under article 60 of the regulation that carry out their activities based on a separate licence under other acts of EU financial services law. So we uphold that centralised supervision would be appropriate for the largest entities with a clear systemic profile. At the EU level, the criteria for significance should be based on the institution's activities within the EU, and we are ready to discuss specific quantitative and qualitative criteria based on the draft proposal of the Commission with respect to governance. We believe that smaller countries should be appropriately represented. Finally, on entities subject to direct supervision, roles and responsibilities should be clearly divided between asthma and national authorities. National authorities should have access to information for supervisory purposes, both from asthma and from supervised institutions. We are happy to participate in developing scenarios, as well as a formal structure, so as to avoid legal uncertainty, including with a view to avoid duplicating functions and costs for supervisory authorities. Thank you.”
Financial regulation
- “Madam chair, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, on the call by Estonia and Bulgaria shares this objective to achieve a high level of protection of humans, animals and the environment, but would like to share a concern due to the decreasing number of active substances providing effective protection. Our country so far has called for the implementation of consistent and systematic policy at EU level, and to prevent the withdrawal of active substances in the event of absence of effective Alternatives on Poland's request. We do share some of the concerns about increased administrative burden on farmers should such a registration obligations introduced alongside training and certification, and further new obligations when treated seeds for sowing are to be used. However, we also support Commission's view that the treatment of seeds or plant reproductive material constitutes use of a plant protection product. Therefore, we have to strike the right balance in our approach so that some of the requirements for professional users should not be applied fully to persons using treated seeds. Thank you.”
EU policy on pesticides
- “Thank you, Abba. I will try to be very short. We support the directions, the measures proposed. However, before finalizing going into details, we recommend performing a deep impact assessment on the market considering mid and long term effects. And we also support equal treatment of the net zero technologies as comes to support through the different instrument contracts for different long term power purchase agreements. Et cetera. Otherwise, we realize that the market needs to be reformed. The last few months were very tough for the consumers, for the producers and the traders. So we will actively participate in the process of finding a good compromise.”
Energy transition (state support)
- “President. Commissioner. Colleagues. The issue of the possibilities of using vaccination as a potential additional preventive tool in the fight against animal diseases is of great interest to our country. We believe that a more in-depth discussion on the specific elements and parameters of the vaccination plan is needed at an expert level, in cooperation with the experts of the European Commission. We need to build on science based risk assessment, and we need incentives for innovation in vaccine development. At present, such solutions to the problem of animal diseases are linked to restrictions on trade. Therefore, when using vaccination in the first place, it must be ensured that this will not lead to disruptions in the free movement and export of animals and that this principle will be accepted and recognized not only in the EU but also in third countries. It is ensured to ensure that member States have sufficient union funding to tackle animal diseases. Thank you.”
Animal diseases prevention and management in the EU
- “Thank you. Thank you very much to the Belgian presidency for raising these controversial issues for dispute. The response will give further impetus to these questions. At expert level. Bulgaria sees the increasing trend of sexual abuse against children due to the development of the information technology and the accessible way provided by internet. We believe that the Commission's proposal for a recast of the directive will make an important contribution to effectively combat the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children. On the first question, our country agrees with the finding that offences related to sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children are among the most serious crimes and must be combated with the widest possible toolbox. However, we believe that the rules currently enforcing the directive for the limitation periods create strong safeguards for criminal prosecution in sufficient periods of time after the victim has reached the age of majority, as demonstrated by the practice of the investigating authorities. Therefore, we do not support the proposal to fix a specific number of years from the age of majority of the victim, after which the limitation period starts to run. This will lead to an imbalance of the criminal law framework at national level. Moreover, from a practical point of view, the effective conduct of criminal proceedings must be carried out within a reasonable time and made available to the victims in good time, which in our view is not ensured by the proposed approach.
On the second question, Bulgaria recognises the comprehensive uptake of artificial intelligence in everyday life and its challenges in the area of criminal law, and especially in the case of artificially generated images of children with pornographic content. The recast directive should be expanded to any child sexual abuse material, such as convincing takes of naked images concerning one or more real persons, images or videos generated by artificial intelligence, which does not include real persons as models, and child sex dolls or sex robots. We maintain the position that no different penalties should be foreseen for cases where no real children or images have been used for the same reason, we think that the scope of the directive should also cover child sex dolls and robots, and their inclusion in the definition of sexual abuse materials. Therefore, this should be, uh, the definitions and minimum penalties to be included in article five of the directive. Last but not least, we support the idea that the harmonisation of crimes and penalties in the field of child sexual exploitation will contribute to improving judicial cooperation in cross-border cases between member states judicial authorities. Thank you.”
Criminal-law harmonisation of child sexual abuse offences (CSAM Directive recast)
- “Madam President, commissioner Smith. I would like to thank you for that information that you have provided, and I welcome the efforts of the presidency and Commissioner sch Smith to carry out this important initiative. The implementation of the European era of skills is gaining momentum together with our efforts to equip people with the right skills to contribute to sustainable growth, leading to more innovation and better competitiveness of companies within the framework of the ear. Bulgaria stepped up investment in human capital and acquisition of new skills. We pay considerable attention to getting ready for the changing realities on the labour market. A very important objective for us. On the 7th of December, there will be a national conference in the Bulgaria on digital skills for the digital decade to discuss the challenges related to digital.”
Focus of EU policy on education (shaping workers vs citizens)
- “Thank you very much, Kaja. I will speak in Bulgarian. Nine abreast vehicle the first and foremost, allow me to congratulate Belgium and you personally, Hajar, with taking the presidency of the Council of the European Union. I would like to emphasize [00:26:30] that Bulgaria is completely engaged with achieving your priorities, and I believe that our common efforts will make the pathway towards a stronger and more prosperous European Union. For us, what is important is our accession to Schengen to remain a top priority in the European Union. We are going to work on a this priority by removing the control on our land borders. [00:27:00] Another priority for Bulgaria is our accession to the eurozone. From the 1st of January 2025. We support the readiness of the presidency to continue to work on the enlargement of the European Union on the principle of own merit. We also agree with the decision to start the negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, and also to give Georgia [00:27:30] a the status of candidate country when it comes to the reform of the European Union, we expect the evaluation of the European Commission, which will allow for a larger and better foundation of the negotiations. Well, when it comes to geopolitics, we have to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary. We believe in a very strong single market and competitiveness, including through the simplification [00:28:00] of the regulatory framework. We support the ambitions of the presidency to increase the role of research, development and innovation and to increase our digital sovereignty. We support the focus on the green and just transition, and also the principle of digital neutrality and technological neutrality, and also putting an emphasis on nuclear energy when it comes to achieving the goals [00:28:30] connected to decarbonisation. The social rights pillar is of paramount importance, as well as dealing with demographic challenges, which has to remain a top priority for the European Union. Once again, we would like to wish every success to the Belgian presidency. Thank you.”
EU-Ukraine relations
- “It's important that we answer the question whether by imposing more restrictive measures and restrictions on the EU fishing fleet in the Black Sea, whose share of catches is, as I mentioned, only 4% of the total. Whether we would then really achieve the environmental objectives set for the whole Black Sea basin. There can be no future [00:53:30] for our fisheries without innovative green energy and without making the profession more attractive. And we believe that setting these overly ambitious goals without taking the reality into account may disturb the fragile balance in the sector, which is already highly dependent on external factors. Producer organisations have a vital role to play, partly through the CMO. We need to strengthen their position and facilitate [00:54:00] their role and the at the same time, any other efforts to have. We need to ensure that the participation in regional fisheries management and organisations is strengthened and we also support the Commission's idea of launching an EU wide study which would focus on available technologies [00:54:30] for energy transition in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. And we appreciate that better cooperation and coordination of all stakeholders through the launch of the Energy transition Partnerships would help with this. A virtual platform would facilitate sharing of best practice as well. Thank you.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- “Thank you, Mr. President. Commissioner. Colleagues. Bulgaria, as always, appreciates the efforts of the presidency to strike a balance, taking into account the sensitivity of the climate objectives and their horizontal nature. We believe that the text, as it stands has been significantly improved compared to the initial proposal. However, unfortunately, we still believe that there is an absence of informed decision making process. We emphasize once more that fundamental decisions require detailed analysis and clarity as to practical implementation. This is particularly important in the light of the rushed negotiation process on the fit for 55 package and the ensuing negative consequences. Therefore, we once again call for postponing the system at least until 2030, as well as strengthening the support and price control mechanism, as we stressed on 18th of September. For us, it is important to ensure ambitious, technologically neutral and pragmatic and realistic approach. Therefore, the establishment of the necessary, adequate, fair and well funded implementation framework remains of paramount importance. We still maintain our position that setting such an ambitious target requires development of a comprehensive and detailed impact assessment at national and sectoral level, covering direct social, economic consequences and the cumulative effects of the legislation as a whole. Home. Therefore, the Commission's intention to maintain the same approach on impact assessment as in the fit for 55 causes serious concern.”
Energy (green transition)
- “Thank you very much, Chair. Thank you, Commissioner. Dear colleagues, first of all, I'd like to start by thanking the European Commission for the package of measures presented to improve the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture. Bulgaria supports our main conclusions on the absence of a need for a comprehensive reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products. [00:50:30] And in this context, we believe, especially given the current geopolitical context, that the sustainable future of the sector is directly linked to maintaining the current fisheries legislative framework. I'd like to emphasize that Bulgaria needs to consider the achievements of the objectives of this common policy in the context of the regional approach. And one of the key elements here is ensuring a level playing field with regard to shared stocks. It's also of utmost importance that policy on the future [00:51:00] of fisheries and aquaculture in the Black Sea is adapted to the specificities and characteristics of this particular water basin. As you know, the EU member states, Bulgaria and Romania, have a coastline of less than 10% in the Black Sea and catch less than 4% of the total, with roughly 95% of their fishing fleet being small scale. There is no deep sea fishing in Black sea waters since [00:51:30] there's essentially no fish above 150 170m. This restricts our fishing opportunities. I would like to highlight our country's serious concerns about the excessively ambitious targets set out in the package, which we think could undermine the viability of our sector. And we also already have a shortage of young professionals and a lack of professional continuity in the sector. In the light of all of these arguments, the focus [00:52:00] of our attention is on the following main priorities. Firstly, restoring the sector from the consequences of the ongoing crisis. Secondly, achieving the objectives of the CFP in the Black Sea area with reasonable within a reasonable time frame effective implementation of an integrated and at the same time balanced regional approach to fisheries management, ensuring a level playing field in the implementation of commitments with third parties and the need to ensure fair access to the maritime space and an [00:52:30] in-depth understanding of the problems that we're dealing with, which needs to take greater account of the social dimensions and our local specificities. It's essential that our country be able to increase the level of scientific knowledge of the Black Sea. So cooperation between scientists and industry is essential here in order for management measures to be both adequate and justified. And in this context, given the current situation in the region, introduction of extremely restrictive measures [00:53:00] such as the ban on bottom fishing and subsequent major structural changes in the activity of our fishing fleet would hamper the achievement of the objectives in the package.”
Environmental regulation of fisheries
- “Thank you. President Bulgaria supports the proposal to ensure and prolong the adequate funding of the Cap, with a view to preserving the agricultural and related activities in rural areas, even though agriculture will continue to have an important contribution to Europe's climate neutrality, the requisite requirements must be defined in such a way as not to compromise the production of food and our food security. That is why we support the appeal to start an entire reappraisal of the instruments relating to the Green Deal. We cannot, however, support any amendments to the Habitats Directive and to the wildlife directed. And so far as the status of the wolves are concerned, the directive has its own mechanism to address this issue without amendment.”
Large Carnivores · Nature protection and restoration in the EU
- “Thank you. Chair. Maintaining Europe's industrial leadership should be a priority in the design of sectoral policies. The present security supply of energy are key prerequisites for decarbonisation. Given the current energy price differences with those of our global competitors, the sectoral plan sufficiency will remain limited. Investments in networks, baseload capacity and mechanisms for stable industrial prices are needed. We support the presented industrial action plans. Meanwhile, transition should be gradual, technology neutral and aligned with investment capacities. Large scale deployment of technologies still undergoing testing and economic viability. Assessments such as low carbon hydrogen creates a risk of de-industrialisation. Regarding Cbam, we maintain the position that the free allocation of allowances should be preserved for as long as possible in view of the continued genuine risk of relocation of production outside the Union and the related economic and social consequences, particularly for member states at the external borders of the EU such as Bulgaria, SMEs need targeted support for modernisation and clean technologies. We need also safeguarding employment and investing in skills. The increasing complexity of procedures and compliance costs are big obstacles to growth and competitiveness in the chemical chemical market, and not only we need comprehensive impact assessments and systematic competitiveness and innovation checks of new policies and ensuring that the cumulative burden of the different pieces of legislation does not hamper competitiveness and innovation potential.”
Carbon leakage support
- “This is to thank you. On behalf of Bulgaria, I'd like to thank the Belgium and previous presidency for the really hard work on this important file. Ensuring the rights of plasma platform workers. Bulgaria believes that the solutions found on [00:41:30] probably the most important issue, I mean, namely presumption of employment relationship is probably not the most appropriate since regulating it at national level without common European criteria and guidelines will lead to fragmentation of the legal framework. Lack of legal certainty and clarity for platforms operating in different member states. Difficulties can also be expected for member states due to the lack of clarity on [00:42:00] which minimum standards they should introduce into their national legislation. That is why, in the negotiation process, we have insisted on the introduction of clear and easily enforceable common European criteria for triggering the presumption. However, we take note of the very advanced stage of the negotiations and the fact that this is the last chance for adoption of the file within the current legislative cycle. That is why, [00:42:30] in the spirit of compromise, we also can support the provisional agreement reached, recognising that it is only a first necessary step towards improving the working conditions of platform workers. And now I'd like to thank for your support. Uh, so please tell us what is in store in view of the adoption of the file in the future. Thank you.”
Platform workers
- “Thank you. Lars. Bulgaria also supports the joint document initiated by Poland and the other colleagues, concerning potential impact of sebum on the technical and non commercial electricity imports to EU Member States. We share the view that the upcoming entering into force of the requirements of Cbam for electricity import would create uncertainties and issues for the transmission system operators, not only regarding the physical flows and emergency support, but also would have an impact on the market integration with countries from the energy community, thus excluding the transmission system operators from Cbam requirements or finding alternative solutions such as providing free emission allowances would would be a solution in the right direction. Thank you.”
Climate efforts
- “Colleagues. Bulgaria supports the council conclusions on mental health. We think that following the major crises that we have lived through, that have affected the whole world, in fact, this is a very topical subject. This is a priority for the Bulgarian government. It's vital that we overcome stigma [00:14:00] and provide mental health services as part of normal health care. I would like to point out that mental health is not just a priority for the health ministries, only if we include all institutions. That if have a role to play, can we combat this effectively? We want to provide modern mental health care services at national level involving all [00:14:30] of the relevant institutions. And we will also use the Recovery and Resilience Plan, and we count on the support of the Commission. Thank you.”
EU policy on mental health
- “Esteemed chair. Commissioner. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the Polish presidency for initiating this important debate. More than ever, we need to have a strategic view of culture. We're facing new challenges, and they require new decisions. As regards the endurance of civil society, the unity of our union, the safeguarding of our fundamental values, culture needs to be and is part of these solutions. Culture contributes to the prosperity of humanity, humanism, democratic society, regional stability and fellowship among communities. Culture is the only sector which can achieve internal prosperity and improve the external image of the EU. In response to a question, we need to have universal recognition of the role of culture and cultural heritage in the broader concept of security, and should be at the centre of recovery and resilience policies. Bulgaria welcomes the creation of the cultural compass as a strategic framework. This framework should include culture and the overlapping political goals of the Union, because it can help us resolve our shared issues, challenges, emerging needs and will contribute to security, prosperity, democracy within the EU and the well-being of European citizens. With regard to Creative Europe, we strongly support ongoing and increased specialised support for culture within the use, with a dedicated financial instrument with its own budget, which can be used by different cultural entities regardless of their scale and geographical location. Further to this question, we believe that the vision and its content of the Creative Europe programme should not be limited only to current challenges. We need to look beyond that and we find it appropriate to retain two subprograms culture and media, taking into account the growth in the number of users in these sectors and the growing use of cultural and creative content within the internal and external markets. We believe that the scope and objectives of the programme should be extended and focus on the proper development, upscaling Scaling and uplifting of European creative talent. Taking into account diversity and new challenges. Also taking into account preparedness, security and democracy. For that purpose, we need adequate and tangible budgeting. Thank you.”
EU and national cultural identities
- “Thank you very much, chair. Thank you very much, Commissioner Hoekstra, for the information and the communication of the Commission. In general, we support the recommended ambitious goal of limiting emissions with 90% by 2040, [00:13:00] taking into account the importance and horizontal nature of the climate goals, we carefully study the implications of available potential and possible measures to realise the necessary, fair, inclusive transition for all citizens. Key priorities for us remain the preservation of competitiveness, economic development and social well-being. At this stage, we see three main and priority enabling conditions for the development of the post 2030 framework. [00:13:30] First and foremost, the impact assessments at the national level that are comparable and provide clarity on the costs and benefits of the transition. These assessments should take into account the specific needs and capacities of European solidarity mechanisms and financial instruments. Given the need for a fair and equitable distribution of efforts and resources to address societal and economic impacts. Secondly, ensuring the support [00:14:00] of society for the ambitious 2040 targets and the goal of climate neutrality. Communicating this need is vital, especially in today's environment of high distrust in public institutions and misinformation, including on climate and just transition. The energy and green transition should be seen as an investment, not just as a cost. The third condition is strong climate diplomacy to stimulate the provision and implementation of serious commitments consistent with [00:14:30] the need for climate neutrality.
In addition, we see a need to establish new partnerships to address the key technological and commercial aspects of the green transition. On the second question, Bulgaria has significant potential for emission reduction and green growth in the post 2030 period, for example in the electrification of heavy industry, taking into account the need for additional investments in the power [00:15:00] grid and infrastructure, as well as in nature based solutions in agriculture and the land use sector, as well as the nuclear energy, as the other delegations pointed out. Among the significant challenges we see the need for accelerated R&D, accelerated technological development and deployment if. Innovative solutions in key areas including renewable energy, hydrogen [00:15:30] economy and industrial carbon management, integration of the legal framework and regulations for the emerging climate neutral industry. Another major challenge is the high level of energy poverty and the vulnerability of households in terms of domestic heating and transport, especially in member states with lower GDP. Public or private sources of financing and mechanisms [00:16:00] aimed at household support do not match the scale of the challenges, as evidenced by the very slow pace of housing renovation and the slow replacement of the car fleet. The Social Climate Fund is not able to tackle transport and energy poverty without integrated measures to raise incomes, improve living conditions and create opportunities for economic and social progress linked to the new green economy. Thank you. [00:16:30]”
Climate efforts
- “Thank you very much, president. May I thank Germany and Mrs. Roth for this reminder that ahead of us there are events that we not always remember. And this has resulted in late efforts on our part [00:18:30] in the new European Parliament, in the new European Commission. And when the negotiations on the new MFF start, uh, there will be significant impact on culture in the European Union. So we need to address timely messages for the importance of the future media and culture policy of our union. Let us not forget that some member States keep very careful track of the central [00:19:00] EU policy, which impacts on culture on the spot, and this is why our responsibility is even more important.”
EU and national cultural identities
- “Chairman. Commissioner. Bulgaria thinks that the compromise text of the draft directive ensures a proper balance between the protection of fundamental rights and [00:27:00] the general principles of EU law. That's why we support the general approach. The provisions ensure that we do protect the right to freedom of expression and information by giving sufficient procedural guarantees to protect persons against slapps which are aimed at restricting and preventing full participation in society, freedom of expression and media pluralism. We support the approach [00:27:30] which gives more flexibility to the national level and more discretion to national courts. We support the understanding that the rules have to be interpreted and implemented by all public bodies. We have to, of course, ensure a fair balance between basic law and the principles of proportionality. Thank you.”
Anti-SLAPP / protection of public participation
- “Thank you, Louis. Madam Commissioner. Colleagues, we thank the Commission for the additional study, but [00:10:30] we consider that it does not fully address the questions requiring quantitative data to supplement the existing impact assessment to the draft Regulation on the Sustainable Use of PPE. A BPP. Therefore, no effective assessment can be can be made given that the regulation is rather ambitious. And we also believe that this further study should be discussed in greater detail [00:11:00] at the technical level. In addition, we believe that for an impact assessment, to be realistic, it should be based on factual data for each and every member state. And those are currently missing. Binding legal targets at member state level are still a problem for us, as well as the lack of sufficient operational and available alternatives to chemical pesticides. And on top of that, the administrative burden [00:11:30] that would result from the regulation. We believe that the objective of reducing the use and the risk of plant protection products should be set at EU level with Member States contributing through their national actions, but due account being taken of specific agro economic conditions, pest status, crop structure and so on. So far as sensitive areas are concerned, [00:12:00] we do not support the total ban on the use of plant protection products in those. We believe that the negotiation process should continue towards allowing, if necessary, the use of all plant protection products authorised in organic and conventional farming, with the exception of the more hazardous pesticides. In answer to your second question, the President Bulgaria believes that negotiations should continue on the integrated pest management [00:12:30] approach. A the availability of sufficient alternatives to plant protection products. And among other things, the use of drones and piloted aircraft for the spraying of such products onto crops. Thank you.”
Reduction targets for pesticides
- “Thank you. President, commissioner, colleagues, Bulgaria shares the concern expressed in the document regarding the unequal treatment of European farmers who are under the obligation to comply with among the strictest environmental and social and safety standards of unloyal competition that is from third country producers who do not have to comply with such standards.
And it's therefore crucial that the European Commission should present as soon as possible its proposal for the revision of regulation 11 69 with a view to closing the loopholes, better harmonization of labeling rules so as to protect consumers from being misled and guaranteeing their right of uninformed choice. Thank you.”
Food labelling harmonisation at EU level
- “Thank you, madam chair. Madam vice chair, Bulgaria supports the continued direct funding for culture through Agora EU as a separate program between 2028 to 2034 and the upholding of the main objectives of Creative Europe to promote cultural and linguistic diversity and the competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors.
The current text under the culture and media strands reflect Bulgaria's request and proposals, including a level playing field covering all member states and support for the information desks. We support GRU's objectives of combating all forms of discrimination and violence, promoting fundamental rights, equality, and the rights of EU citizens.
During the negotiations, our country insisted on terminology that follows well established language in EU primary law in order to maximize legal predictability and guarantee the highest degree of inclusion and citizens protection. Unfortunately, the current text generates concepts which in light of the jurisprudence of the Bulgarian constitutional court are incompatible with the fundamental principles of the national constitution and legal order.
Therefore, our country cannot agree to a partial general approach. Bulgaria has submitted a statement to be included in the minutes of today's council. Bulgaria will continue to work constructively in this file in the next stages of the negotiations, and we wish the future presidency every success. Thank you.”
EU and national cultural identities
- “Big thank you, Luis. Commissioner. Colleagues, I wish to thank the Spanish presidency for [00:06:00] its constructive work on both of these files. On the proposed regulation on plant reproductive material. Bulgaria can support the Commission's approach to merge legislation in the fields of seeds and plants, material into a single act. However, we still have concerns about the introduction of a requirement to carry out variety tests. For the cultivation and use of fruit and vegetables. We view this as a significant obstacle for small and medium sized enterprises. As the price for the permit for a variety would increase costs significantly. This is a particularly sensitive issue for us, because most Bulgarian companies would be viewed as micro enterprises under the meanings in in European legislation. We believe that the introduction of requirements for planting for seed varieties. Which are tolerant to herbicides would have a impact on all agricultural production. This includes varieties of sunflower hybrids, which are particularly important to our agriculture. On the proposed regulation on forest reproductive material. Bulgaria takes the view that the replacement of the current directive. Through this proposal or changes to the type of act is not appropriate when it comes to ensuring that Member States have freedom of flexibility at the national level for the implementation of European legislation on forestry. In particular, our concerns relate to the abolition of the ability to derogate from the application, derogate from application of the legislation when marketing forest reproductive material for own use. [00:08:00] As well as the national contingency plans. This would increase administrative burden. We are also expecting increased financial administrative burdens as a result of linking legislation on the market and forest reproductive material to the plant health and official controls. Thank you.”
Sustainable use of seeds in EU policy
- “Thank you very much. Chairman, Commissioner. Colleagues. The Republic of Bulgaria supports the concerns expressed with regard to the draft regulation on the Forest Monitoring Regulation proposed by the Commission. We agree that the proposal needs further discussion, with a view to improving the texts and clarifying definitions, as well as avoiding the creation of additional administrative and financial burden. It is also essential to take into account the principle of subsidiarity with regard to forest management. Thank you.”
Management of EU forests
- “Thank you, chair. We would also like to thank the presidency for your efforts to simplify and clarify the provisions in search of a much needed balance. The protection of the best interest of children is top priority for us.
However, when discussing the legislative proposal, particular attention should be paid to finding the necessary balance between, on the one hand, the guarantees for the unhindered exercise of the rights of children and their parents at EU level and on the other hand, the European rules of origin should be regulated by strictly taking into consideration the constitutional identity, social and cultural diversity and values of each member state.
The political debate is timely and necessary. Despite the efforts made by everyone, despite the compromises, little progress has been achieved in three and a half years. On key issues such as jurisdiction, applicable law, there is still no common view on the approach to be used in the text.
Certain aspects of the applicable law framework are particularly important to us. These rules will be applied both by courts and other authorities with jurisdiction competence in matters of parenthood.
For the Bulgarian civil registration services, it will be very difficult to decide on law applicable to the initial recording of parenthood and in particular to apply foreign law.
We see significant dangers in determining the applicable law on the basis of the country of birth of the child because when looking for the most favorable applicable law, prospective parents may travel for the birth of their child to another country to which neither the child nor the parents have any connection.
We suggest that work should continue on the scope, jurisdiction, and applicable law as a matter of priority. Upcoming discussions should focus on the legal implications and practical dimensions for all member states.
Only after agreeing on these key topics can we proceed with examining the other chapters of the proposal. We could consider the idea if consensus cannot be reached on an overall proposal, then the proposal should be divided and negotiations should be conducted only on topics on which unanimity could be reached.
A similar practice has been successful in negotiations on other files and other international organizations such as the Hague Conference on Private International Law.”
Jurisdiction conflicts between EU and national courts
- “Thank you, Mr. Chair. Dear Commissioner, it is essential to ensure both an ambitious and realistic budget which is able to respond effectively to political and economic challenges. The council position provides a good basis for negotiations with the European Parliament, and furthermore, the amending letter number one for 26 should be carefully considered in the context of the negotiations while guaranteeing an adequate level of payments in the budget. Given the crucial importance of heading four for us in providing an effective response for the challenges in migration and border management, we would support an increase for Frontex as a step towards an agreement with the European Parliament. We would also support reinforcing the asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and the Border management and visa instrument. Military mobility being a priority in the current times is another area where we could consider stepping out of the council position. As in previous years, we would like to stress that, uh, the increasing commitments of appropriations should be accompanied by a proportionate increase in payments in order to achieve the overall objectives and priorities set. In this context, we expect the Declaration on Payments to be cancelled. Position to the Council position to be part of the final agreement. Despite the diverging positions of the Parliament and the Council on certain aspects and headings. We are convinced that the ultimate objective for a timely and acceptable agreement on the 2026 EU budget will be achieved through a constructive approach in the negotiations and the willingness to compromise from both sides. Having said that, we would like to wish to the presidency best luck in the challenging hours ahead and we stand ready to cooperate towards reaching a final agreement. Thank you.”
Size of EU budget · Asylum & border control
- “As far as the document is concerned, given the large volume of animal transport within the European Union and to third countries and the conditions in which it takes place, the revision and the updating of Regulation one of 2005 on the protection of animals during transport in the light of the latest scientific knowledge is quite important and imperative. In this respect, we support the document presented by Portugal as a country of an increased transit and external border of the European Union. We face daily challenges when it comes to transport, long distance transport of animals and challenges coming from the strict compliance with the regulation and in development and improvement of legislation is of great importance to us. We support the call in the document that the main objective of the revision of the legislation must focus on the high welfare standards and continued facilitation of inter-community trade and exports of live animals, but not to focus on measures related to bans or restrictions of animal transport.”
EU requirements on animal welfare for farmers
- “Thank you. President. Commissioner. Dear colleagues, I would like to welcome Commissioner Varhelyi. I'm sure that he will be able to collaborate successfully so that we can solve serious challenges that we are faced with on a daily basis. I would like to thank the Hungarian presidency for the intensive and fruitful work on both files. Now on the plant reproductive Adaptive materials regulation will still have reservations regarding the additional audits and control measures, which will significantly burden controls and will be yet another administrative task for the operators. We believe that the requirements to carry out variety testing for value for sustainable cultivation and use for fruit and vegetables is yet another administrative burden. A derogation from the established requirements for the sale of plant reproductive material by the keeper or breeder to the producer, as well as the sale to end users. Organizations and networks will also make controls more burdensome, which will lead to higher administrative burden because official authorities have to carry out risk analysis. Bulgaria supports the derogation to allow the placing on the market of plant reproductive material of varieties of fruit species and vine varieties not yet registered on forest reproductive material regulation. We support the inclusion of the Official Controls regulation, but without being bound with the official control Regulation itself. Only the provisions. The control rules should be designed in such a way to meet the needs of the forest sector. This would not be achieved by the changes to the regulation on official controls for forest reproductive material, because neither the time nor the stringency of the controls are necessary or justified, they will not be applied. In this context, the proposal of Austria and Germany to supplement the regulation with official controls is an appropriate solution for us. Thank you.”
Sustainable use of seeds in EU policy
- “We support many of the measures in the automotive package and welcome the proposals in the automotive omnibus. However, it does not provide sufficient guarantees for genuine technology neutrality and long term industrial resilience, nor does it take due account sufficiently of the specificities of the member states. Bulgaria is a producer of components of systems and software. It is therefore of particular importance for us that the European automotive value chain is preserved, and that the role of suppliers is taken into account. If policies focus solely on the final product, without guaranteeing incentives for European content and local production, we risk losing production capacity, jobs and energy in engineering. Engineering expertise to achieve our climate goals and at the same time strategic autonomy and sustainable growth. We need to ensure three conditions competitive energy prices, clear and predictable regulatory environment, and effective protection against unfair competition. Only under these circumstances will sectoral plans deliver tangible industrial outcomes. Thank you.”
Vehicle content rules: mandatory EU components vs. open global sourcing for carmakers
- “Thank you very much for giving me the floor. In Bulgaria we make a difference [00:30:00] between GMO and n ght. In the discussion so far, we've always stressed that the regulation has to include durable solutions. The coexistence of products with agts and conventional and organic farming has to be able to continue. The protection of biodiversity is also something we've stressed. The same applies to equal access to the genetic fund [00:30:30] to carry out breeding activities and prevent patent restrictions in this regard, as well as the rights of consumers to make informed choices with regard to net products. Taking account of the political sensitivity of this issue and public opinion, the Republic of Bulgaria will abstain from the text proposed by the Spanish Presidency. Around [00:31:00] a general approach on the draft regulation. Thank you.”
New Genomic Techniques