The actual debate on the future of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will take place in 2012, Agriculture and Foods Minister Miroslav Naydenov told the participants in a forum of Bulgarian farmers. Thus, the opening was given to a series of discussions aiming to clarify the Bulgarian stand on the EC proposal for reforming CAP over the period 2014-2020.
“During the current programming period Bulgarian farmers have been left with the impression that they have not been treated on a par with their counterparts in the older EU member states, and also that their interests have not been defended in the best way,” Mr. Naydenov pointed out. “Secondly, there is the feeling of unequal treatment among the various agricultural sectors, and the favouritism regarding certain ones. The Bulgarians have doubts that the funding is not being distributed fairly among the agricultural producers. We have to answer a great many questions because the Common Agricultural Policy, which accounts for 40% of the EU budget, is funded with taxpayers’ money, and people will need to know how well it is being used.”
Bulgaria has already given its official stand on a number of cardinal issues related to the proposals for changes to the Common Agricultural policy. However, the wide public debate is still to come. Let us make a summary of them.
In the first place, Bulgaria insists that the share of the EU budget earmarked for agriculture remained at the current level of 40%. Secondly, Bulgaria is in favour of preserving the system for direct payments per unit of arable land or farm. Borrowing Bulgaria and Romania’s idea the European Commission proposed the introduction of a maximum amount for direct payments to a single farmer, because of the huge discrepancies in the size of arable lands in the two Balkan EU member states. It turns out that currently 80% of the subsidies in Bulgaria go to at least 4% of the farmers, because they possess and cultivate vast expanses of arable land. Nevertheless, Sofia is of the opinion that the EUR 150 000 per farmer maximum proposed by the European Commission is very low, and will insist on a higher value.
Bulgaria has also voiced its concerns that 30% of the subsidies should go to ‘organic farmers’. In the words of the Agriculture Minister, “the country is not ready yet to absorb that amount of funding”. On the other hand, Bulgaria supports the proposal for at least 2% of funding to young farmers.
The overall evaluation of the Agriculture Minister is that the Rural Development Programme has been largely neglected over the current programming period 2007-2013. Which, in turn, reduces the amount of absorbed funding. Therefore, the cabinet of Agriculture and Foods Minister Miroslav Naydenov has decided to place the Rural Development Programme in the focus of its activities.
“One of the issues is that the ratio between direct payments and the funding for rural development is 60% versus 40%, i.e. they are almost equal in financial terms, unlike countries such as France, for instance, where 90% of subsidies go for direct payments. However, the debate is essential for Bulgaria because we need to absorb nearly half of the aid for agriculture. I am set to conduct a reform in my administration, and create a special unit that will deal with the future of the Common Agricultural Policy as related to rural development, which I have decided to set as my personal priority,” Agriculture and Foods Minister Miroslav Naydenov said in conclusion.
English version by Radostin Zhelev
