Minister of Agriculture and Food Kiril Vatev, who spoke to his counterparts from Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary here on Wednesday, said that he and his four counterparts remain united in their position to defend the ability of farmers to compete in the face of serious disruptions on the agricultural market, the Agriculture Ministry said. The meeting took place in Warsaw, however, Vatev joined via video conference due to a cancelled flight.
The forum was attended in person by the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Poland Margarita Ganeva.
The ministers discussed ways to improve the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products through solidarity corridors. Discussions focused on possible measures to be taken to ensure fair rules of competition for farmers in the EU and candidate states, including the extension of import restrictions beyond September 15.
Vatev said that fair competition on the common market needs importers of agricultural products to respect the same requirements as EU farmers: conditions that take into account the environment, animal welfare and good agricultural practices. The Bulgarian Minister emphasized the importance of keeping the solidarity corridors open in the long term to ensure transit of Ukrainian agricultural goods to the countries where they are needed.
The ministers of the five Member States underlined that they support Ukraine and will continue to help. They agreed on a common position, which is expected to be presented at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on July 25. Bulgaria's final position will be determined by the Council of Ministers.
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