EU Currents: Protecting Bulgaria’s Farmers
Background
Farmers in Bulgaria are set to receive a €7.4 million support package from the European Commission as compensation for a growing season that was affected by atypical climate conditions. Droughts and heat waves from June to August of last year resulted in reduced sunflower and maize production, causing shock to the wider agricultural sector.
Authorities within the nation are required to distribute the assistance no later than September 30, 2026. Additionally, Bulgaria must provide a report to the European Commission detailing the criteria for selecting beneficiaries, impacts, payment schedules along with any further plans of support from the government.
On average, the European Union’s agriculture sector experiences more than €28.3 billion in financial losses due to weather phenomena brought about by the effects of climate change. According to reports commissioned by the European Commission and European Investment Bank, more than 80 percent of these losses are not insured.
Christophe Hansen, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food underscored the importance of this type of support in a press release that was put forward upon the announcement of this support package.
Hansen said, “When droughts trouble the soil in Bulgaria and Hungary, or frost and rain ruin crops in Estonia, it’s not just fields that suffer. It’s families and the very future of our farming communities.”
The Common Agricultural Policy
This support apparatus has been made possible due to reformation of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), a scheme that has been in effect since 1962. The CAP’s main goals are to support the EU’s farmers in their pursuit of reasonable living, maintain rural areas and promote jobs in the agricultural sector.
A reform of the CAP was adopted by the Council of the EU on December 2, 2021. Special attention was given to supporting goals in line with the EU’s Green Deal, to include incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices in order to assist with the hardships brought about by climate change.
Income support for farmers is also tied to several conditions of eligibility. Of note, farmers must be located within the EU, they must be performing an agricultural function on arable, fertile land and must fit the definition of being an “active farmer”, relating to minimum levels of agricultural activity.
Additionally, fairer distribution of direct payments to small and medium-sized farms is key, ensuring compliance with EU-wide social and labor laws and support for young farmers were included as part of the overall scheme.
Bulgaria’s Strategy
Each EU member state has a national CAP strategic plan, specifically tailored to the needs of their individual nation. Bulgaria’s strategic plan in particular highlights the fact that more than 22% of the nation is rural, and that more than 13% of the nation’s population inhabits those regions.
Key strategies within Bulgaria’s strategic plan outline the overall aim to improve living and working conditions for citizens of rural areas, along with catering to the needs of farms of all sizes. Sustainable farming practices are also supported within the framework of this plan.
Sofia is also putting pressure on Brussels to ensure that Bulgarian farmers get an equal number of subsidies when compared to their counterparts in other member states. Hungary, for example, received €3 million more than Bulgaria, even though the agricultural sector in Hungary contributes roughly 2.8%-3.6% of the national GDP, while Bulgaria’s agricultural sector makes up 4.4% of the national GDP.
Farmers Feeling The Squeeze
Production costs of agricultural goods have also significantly increased in recent months. Goods like milk are selling for less on the market, hurting the profit margins for farmers. Bulgaria’s caretaker Minister of Agriculture, Ivan Hristanov highlighted the disparity and its effects on his nation’s farmers at a recent meeting before the EU Council on Agriculture.
Hristanov referenced price fluctuations that began in 2025 and continued into 2026 that have affected the farming community at large but have been especially detrimental to small farms.
In his address to the EU Council on Agriculture, Hristanov explained that “Small farms and people in more disadvantaged areas simply cannot sell their milk and are being refused purchase. The reason is simple-cheap raw material is coming in from outside and distorting the market.”
Hristanov elaborated rising electricity prices and costs for feeding livestock are also putting farmers in a bind. Hristanov stated that Europe must “use all the instruments at its disposal”, including funds from the annual reserve that is set aside to respond to market disruptions, a fund that is valued at more than €450 million.
Food Security Is National Security
Domestically, Hristanov has worked to bring relief to farmers through a proposal to reduce the gas oil excise duty. The new reduction will be set at €0.31 per liter, the previous reduction was set at €0.21 per liter.
Though this measure still must be approved by the Ministry of Finance, Hristanov believes that when looking at economic data, it is a viable plan that the economy can support at this time.
One of Hristanov’s key arguments is that the security of the agricultural sector should be on par with national security imperatives and is pushing for the health of the agricultural sector to hold a higher level of importance during the next reformation of Bulgaria’s political cabinet.
Hristanov said that “Food security must be considered part of European national security,” and suggested that his ministry’s name should be changed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to reflect Bulgaria’s future priorities.
