Bulgaria and Ukraine Have Agreed on a Joint Licensing Regime For Agricultural Products

During an online meeting between the Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture, Kiril Vatev, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykola Solskyi, the parties agreed on the details of implementing the licensing regime for the export of Ukrainian rapeseed, wheat, corn, and sunflower seeds.

This information was reported by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Bulgaria.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has fulfilled its promise to limit the import of this agricultural production as much as possible by November 30, according to the memorandum concluded between the government and the Initiative Committee of protesting farmers," emphasized the Bulgarian minister.

At the same time, Vatev noted that after the end of this period, Bulgaria and Ukraine will closely monitor to ensure that the Bulgarian market is not "distorted" and that the interests of Bulgarian producers and consumers are not "undermined."

Currently, the countries have agreed to continue imports and exchange all necessary data.

It is worth noting that in September 2023, the European Commission decided to lift the previously imposed restrictions on the import of agricultural products to five Eastern countries of the European Bloc. At the same time, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary announced restrictions on Ukrainian imports unilaterally.

Last month, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania also appealed to the European Commission to continue financial support for local farmers who allegedly suffered from the import of Ukrainian grain.

It is worth mentioning that with the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in winter 2022, the Kremlin deliberately began blocking the export of Ukrainian grain through seaports. Later, after achieving certain concessions, Moscow agreed to partially lift the illegal blockade through the so-called "green corridors."

Exactly a year later, in July 2023, Moscow announced its withdrawal from the so-called "grain agreement" and began launching massive missile strikes on the port cities of Ukraine. As of September 2023, Russia destroyed at least 280,000 tons of Ukrainian grain.

Earlier, The Gaze reported that the organization Global Rights Compliance published a new report titled "Turning Agriculture into Weapons," which provides evidence that Russia deliberately planned the looting of Ukrainian grain and a "hungry blockade" that would allow the Kremlin to blackmail the international community with the threat of hunger.

According to researchers, Russia planned to daily steal about 12 tons of Ukrainian grain, with a total value of one million dollars per year. These funds were supposed to be directed towards financing Russia's military industry and supporting its ability to wage an imperial war in Ukraine.