If we had not lifted the ban on grain imports from Ukraine, we would have been fined by the European Commission (EC). This was said in the program “Face to Face” on bTV by Minister of Agriculture Kiril Vatev.
“My surprise was that this proposal was submitted for consideration in the National Assembly, without having previously considered the matter in the relevant committee. That was the only surprise. Otherwise, as far as the decision of the Council of Ministers is concerned, I knew about it. I defended the position of Bulgaria, together with the five European countries, but after all, there are political decisions at a higher level. I am part of a collective body – the Council of Ministers,” he explained.
Kiril Vatev explained that all the time and until the end he protected the native producers. He pointed out that “Romania has also withdrawn from the claims of continuing the ban”, but there are objective reasons for this. And he added that there is a serious agreement between the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and Ukraine to limit imports.
“Well, today, for example, there is not a single truck with grain that has entered our territory. There is an agreement that until the mechanisms for license regimes for certain products with certain quantities are worked out, nothing should come from Ukraine,” he is categorical.
The Minister of Agriculture is adamant that there is no way to influence the European Commission, which has already decided on Ukrainian grain. “Poland decided not to comply with the EC and pay the fines, Bulgaria made another decision – to come to an agreement with Ukraine,” he further explained.
A few days ago, the National Assembly (NA) agreed to drop the ban on the import of certain products originating from Ukraine after September 15, 2023. The decision on the position of the Republic of Bulgaria regarding preventive measures regarding the import of certain Ukrainian products was taken with 124 votes “for” “, 69 “against” and eight “abstained”.
In response to this decision, the farmers announced that an indefinite protest of all from the agricultural sector will begin today. On Tuesday, they plan to take their dissatisfaction to the yellow cobblestones in the capital.
“I don’t negotiate with terrorists“, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said on the occasion of the organized protest of grain producers in the country. This caused violent reactions on the part of grain producers in the country.
“I want to thank the Prime Minister for calling the Bulgarian producers that way, who have been feeding this country for years and not only, they treat the land and their work with love and care, they are dedicated. I can only thank him, as I think that the protest will be even more numerous after his speech. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for creating even more tension. But whoever sows wind will reap storms.”
