site.btaGreen Week 2018 in Berlin to Focus on Common Agricultural Policy - Minister

Berlin, January 19 (BTA Special Correspondent Lyudmila Spassova) - Bulgaria has taken over the Presidency of the Council оf the European Union at a very important time when the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its budget for the new programme period are being debated, Agriculture and Forest Minister Roumen Porozhanov told journalists Friday.

He was speaking after the opening of the International Green Week (IGW) 2018 in Berlin. IGW is a one-of-a-kind international exhibition of the food, agriculture and gardening industries.

It has been decided that the deficit from Brexit amounting to some 13,000 million euro will be compensated by increasing the contributions from the GDP of each member country by 1.1 per cent, the minister said. Germany has agreed on principle to this, which is a good sign, he commented.

It is important for the CAP framework and legislation to be approved before the elections for European Parliament. The subjects Bulgaria will raise is the preservation of direct payments and state co-funding. Porozhanov said approximation of funding of the individual member countries and the limits of payment, as well as expansion of related production, are delicate matters. Bulgaria will insist on all this in its position, which will be sent to the European Parliament in March.

Porozhanov unveiled the Bulgarian stand at the exhibition. Its motto is 'The Aroma of Sun', motivated by the Bulgarian rose.

The first guests at the stand were Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan, the German Minister of Food and Agriculture Christian Schmidt, as well as representatives of the largest agriculture and food industry organisations in Germany. They all congratulated Bulgaria on the well-organised partnership.

The German statesmen and businessmen recalled that the event will be attended by 70 ministers from all over the world and there will be 300 forums on the sidelines. Bulgaria's Agriculture Minister is scheduled to meet with ten of the visiting ministers.