Bulgaria is to receive EUR 7.5 billion from the Common Agricultural Policy fund over the new programme period 2014 – 2020. “More than EUR 5 billion will be granted for support of farms’ revenues as direct payments, while other EUR 2 billion will be allocated for development of rural areas and agricultural investments under the Rural Development OP,” Agricultural Minister Dimitar Grekov has recently pointed out. The new CAP will probably enter into force as of 2015, as this year will remain transitional for adaptation to the new requirements.

What else did this country manage to defend within the frameworks of the new CAP?

Bulgarian MEP Maria Gabriel tackles the subject for RB. She was the one that defended actively the interests of Bulgarian farmers at the EP debates.

Practically the money, granted for direct payments over the next 7 years will be much more than what was received in the period 2007 – 2013. This will be another timid attempt for a fairer distribution of these payments between the “old” and the “new” EU member-states. The latter got an unfairly low start with the sums, received for agriculture and a gradual increasing of those to an average level was negotiated, with 2020 being the horizon. For instance, in 2007 Bulgaria joined the EU with 25 percent of subsidies contracted from what the older member-states received.

“Bulgaria is within that category of countries, receiving far less than 90 percent of the average payments for the EU and that is why the increase achieved over the period 2014 – 2020 is 30 percent,” Maria Gabriel explained for RB.

What’s essential for Bulgaria is the chance gained for 13 percent of the direct payments to be allocated to the so-called captive production, i.e. to certain kinds of cultures, according to the assessment of the respective country.

“These 13 percent, so popular now will allow an access to subsidies to sectors that remained aside in the agenda of the 2007 – 2013 CAP. We are talking here about vegetable and fruit growers, stock breeders,” Mrs. Gabriel goes on to say.

Thus a huge injustice from the previous period will be corrected. The main funds were received under direct subsidies per hectare of farmland and 80 percent of those went to grain producers, who cultivate the largest areas. Farmers, involved in the growing of traditional cultures, such as vegetables, fruits and also making their living on stock breeding dropped out of the agenda. Thus after the start of the transition period Bulgaria gradually turned into an almost net importer of tasty vegetables, fruits and meat. Agricultural Minister Dimitar Grekov claims that 80 percent of fruits and vegetables on Bulgarian market today are imported, the number is even 90 percent for red meat, while our food industry processes barely 25 percent of home produced raw material.

The increase earned is not enough, but still it is almost threefold. Bulgaria had so far the right to spare up to 3.5 percent of the overall subsidies for those. In 2014, which will be a transitional year between the old and the new CAP, this percentage will be 6.5. Deputy Minister of Agriculture Yavor Gechev was optimistic to voice his expectation a few days ago that in 2018 Bulgarian tomatoes on the market will outnumber the foreign ones.

Flexibility in the distribution of the funds between the two pillars – direct payments and rural development – this is the other essential key word, according to MEP Maria Gabriel, who actively defended that stance at the EP. Thus our country will be able to adapt better its policy for subsidizing the concrete needs of our agriculture.

“The initial proposal of the commission was 5 – 10 percent of the money for the rural areas to be available for transfers to the direct payment funds. Now Bulgaria and 9 other countries will have the chance to allocate money from the second to the first pillar within the frameworks of 25 percent. This percentage will be 15 for the rest of the states.”

Bulgaria is also on the list of countries with EU funding amounting to up to 85 percent.

“The proposal of the EC was for a co-funding of 55 – 75 percent. However, the EP stated firmly that the poorer regions like Bulgaria that needed a stronger economic development should receive funding within the frameworks of 85 percent, which is really good news.”

The accent of the new CAP is on the support for young farmers and small farms and it fully coincides with the needs of Bulgarian agriculture. Additional 2 percent are envisaged for extra support of young farmers, aimed at the solving of two problems. The first one is with the aging farming community at the EU and the second is related to youth unemployment, the MEP commented. The successful change of generations in agriculture means food security on the continent.

As far as the 30 percent greening of the new CAP is concerned, some farmers in Bulgaria say this cannot be achieved at this stage. Others see a unique opportunity for Bulgaria to take a radical turn to organic farming that faces perfect natural conditions here and also a great demand on world markets.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev