site.btaBulgarian Rose Farming Presented at European Parliament

The history, traditions and technology of Bulgarian rose farming were presented at an exhibition at the European Parliament in Brussels, the Kazanlak town hall said. Attending were all Bulgarian MEPs and many of their foreign peers. The presentation aimed to familiarize the MEPs with the quality and manufacturing of rose oil so that it is excluded from the restrictions, stemming from European Commission proposed changes to the Regulation on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP).

The presentation was opened by MEP Andrey Novakov, who underscored that Bulgaria is the world’s largest rose oil producer.

Maria Spyraki, a raporteur on the Regulation on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) too noted the importance of the Bulgarian rose oil. She said that the topic is a subject of many discussions and voiced hope that a balanced decision will be found and that the level of awareness will increase. 

Kazanlak Mayor Galina Stoyanova said that the initiative aims for MEPs to see for themselves that this is a natural and an extremely valuable product and recalled the long history of Bulgarian rose farming and its significance to the pharmaceutical industry. "When you vote the Regulation, you vote for rose oil to outlive us or to end a tradition, which defines our identity,” said Stoyanova and thanked attendees for their support for Bulgaria.

On the last day of the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council in 2023, the member states, acting through the Permanent Representatives Committee I (COREPER I), approved a legislative proposal to keep the existing approach to the classification of essential oils. In connection with the European Commission's proposal to amend the Regulation on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures. The EU Council accepted the arguments of Bulgaria and seven other member states about the difficulties in adopting the proposed approach, and added a review clause asking the Commission to make further analysis and present it in four years.