Bulgaria insists on quick action to support farmers because of the fertilizer situation.

This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Georgi Sabev during the meeting of the Council of the European Union on Agriculture and Fisheries in Brussels.

"We would like to see more opportunities for support in the short term to address the immediate problems of farmers," he added.

On the subject of ensuring the availability and financial affordability of fertilizers, the Bulgarian Deputy Minister noted that the actions to improve the transparency of the market, strengthening the scientifically based use and saving in the use of fertilizers, as well as the investment of products of organic origin to replace synthetic fertilizers are in line with other European initiatives.

"Part of these actions are included in the Strategic Plans under the Common Agricultural Policy, including Bulgaria's," informed Georgi Sabev.

During the meeting, the Strategy for Forests until 2030 was also discussed.

According to the Agrarian Deputy Minister, the ambitious goals set in it for adapting forests to climate change and unlocking the potential of forestry as part of the green economy are a step in the right direction. direction.

"Cooperation between member states regarding the mapping and valuation of ecosystem services from forests could contribute to the development and introduction of effective public and private payment schemes for ecosystem services and diversification of forest revenues," Georgi Sabev pointed out.

And he added that this will contribute to reducing fragmentation and better coordination of forest-related policies in the context of the Green Deal and a number of draft legislative acts.

Within the framework of the Council, the topic of the energy transition in the "Fisheries and aquaculture" sector in the EU was also discussed.

"We are aware of the need to ensure a fair energy transition in our common aspiration to achieve an economically viable and sustainable industry, taking into account the specifics and needs of individual regions," noted Deputy Minister Sabev.

He announced that Bulgaria envisages activities during the new program period 2021-2027 in the sector, such as the installation of renewable energy sources to power the installations on board the vessels, as well as the replacement of elements of the fishing gear with those with a lower resistance fishing time leading to lower fuel consumption.

"The object of support will also be pilot projects, studies,

tests and innovations for energy efficiency and decarbonization of fishing vessels", he further specified.

In the processing sector, it is also planned to finance activities leading to an increase in the energy efficiency of enterprises and decarbonization.

During the meeting, the European Commission presented a communication "Towards a strong and sustainable seaweed sector in the EU", which identified opportunities for the development of the seaweed industry in Europe.

"Although it is currently small, the European algae sector has the potential to become a significant part of the Union's blue bioeconomy," noted Georgi Sabev.

In his speech, he pointed out that the industry can take advantage of the opportunities that Europe's vast seas provide, while creating new jobs for local communities, producing raw materials, including as carbon sinks, and healthy products, and by helping to restore coastal ecosystems and provides ecosystem services.

"We believe

that the implementation of a single and coherent approach to the regulation and management of the seaweed sector would be very beneficial.

The availability of reliable information, the improvement of knowledge, the development of technologies and innovations are of crucial importance to stimulate the cultivation of algae", concluded the Bulgarian Deputy Minister.