Bulgaria compensates farmers, caves into protest threats over Ukraine imports

6 months ago 23

Bulgaria’s caretaker government has disbursed much-anticipated funds worth €150 million to compensate farmers for the negative effects of the import of Ukrainian agricultural products.

Farmers should receive their payments by 15 May, which coincides with the start of the election campaign ahead of the simultaneous parliamentary and European elections in June.

“Financial aid is granted to support animal breeders, rearing large and small ruminants and bee families, as well as to producers of fruit and vegetables, rose oil, wine vines and tobacco and to support farmers producing cereals and oil crops,” the government’s announcement states.

Almost two-thirds of the subsidies are to be provided through the restructuring of EU funds to support farmers, and the rest of the money is state co-financing.

While the caretaker government’s decision is aimed at appeasing some of the Bulgarian farmers who feel most threatened by the low prices of Ukrainian exports, according to unofficial information obtained by Euractiv, it appears to be a response to the Bulgarian National Association of Grain Producers’ announcement in mid-April 2024 that it would join a wave of simultaneous protests in Brussels and member states ahead of the EU elections.

The association’s president, Iliya Prodanov, said that there would certainly be at least one bus with Bulgarian representatives travelling to join the protest in Brussels.

European farmers have three key demands, the most important of which is a review of the EU’s commitment to halve pesticide use by 2030, as set out in the European Green Deal.

The second key demand, particularly from farmers in Eastern European countries, is the regulation of Ukrainian agricultural imports. Thirdly, farmers also call for the postponement or complete overhaul of the EU’s Nature Restoration Law, which will affect arable land and livestock grazing by 2050.

Many Eastern European farmers are angry that the European Union allows the import of cheap Ukrainian grain into the EU because it does not meet the bloc’s standards.

(Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)