A memorandum of understanding between the Ukrainian and Bulgarian energy ministries on cooperation in the energy sector was signed in the presence of Zelensky and Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolo Denkov during an official visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Bulgaria.
According to the press service of the Ukrainian head of state, the document was signed by Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko and Bulgarian Energy Minister Rumen Radev.
“The memorandum is aimed at creating framework conditions for deepening cooperation in the energy sector of Ukraine and Bulgaria based on the principle of mutual benefit and taking into account common interests and goals of both countries,” the statement said.
Ukraine and Bulgaria undertook to provide affordable energy, as well as to support industrial and regional development, security and prosperity of their peoples, expand cooperation and a shared commitment to protect the environment and mitigate climate change and reduce carbon emissions.
It was noted that taking into account Ukraine’s status as a candidate for EU membership and Bulgaria’s obligations as a EU member state, the sides agreed to intensify further mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, green energy, hydrogen, as well as energy storage systems and smart grids.
Sharing knowledge and experience to protect energy infrastructure from physical, electromagnetic, and cyber threats is a priority in the cooperation.
As reported, Bulgarian parliamentarians by a majority vote delegated the country’s Energy Minister to negotiate with his Ukrainian counterpart on the possibility of selling equipment intended for Belene NPP to Kiev, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported Thursday.
The decision was supported by 135 deputies, while 57 opposed.
Earlier, BNR reported that Ukraine had expressed interest in purchasing the reactors intended for Belene NPP.
Bulgaria abandoned the project in 2012.
A representative of the Citizens for Democratic Development of Bulgaria-Union of Democratic Forces (GERB-UDS) coalition, Maria Gabriel, on Monday returned to President Rumen Radev a mandate to form a government, Bulgarian National Radio reported.
“The folder I am returning is empty because I will not allow it to contain the names of people who got there not through open and clear negotiations, but through backroom deals,” she said in a meeting with Radev.
Shortly before her meeting with the president, Gabrielle briefed the Bulgarian National Assembly. It was also attended by Nikolai Denkov of the Continuing Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition.
According to Gabrielle, the two coalitions have worked out a formula based on reason rather than emotion in the last 48 hours. The two coalitions, in particular, came to an agreement to run the government on a rotating basis. The plan was for Denkov to lead the cabinet for the first nine months, with Gabrielle as foreign minister, and for the next nine months they would swap portfolios.
According to observers, the rotational management of the government, among other things, served as a stumbling block to the successful formation of the cabinet.
Bulgarian authorities have revised the entry conditions for foreign citizens, now travelers with unopened Schengen single and multiple entry visas, as well as with national visas of Romania, Croatia and Cyprus can not enter the country, writes the government newsletter of the republic.
“The Republic of Bulgaria will consider the following documents issued by the member states of the Schengen Agreement: a single entry visa valid for two or more entries after it has been used once to enter a Schengen country, as well as a visa with limited territorial validity for two or more visits after a single entry into the Schengen area,” the document says.
As the newspaper notes, similar requirements will be imposed on holders of national short-term and long-term visas of Cyprus or Romania. After visiting these countries entry into Bulgaria is possible for a period of not more than 90 days within 180 days.
The national short-term and long-term visas and residence permits issued by Croatian authorities until December 31, 2022 are recognized as equivalent to the Bulgarian national visas for transit and residence.
The agrarian ministries of Ukraine and Bulgaria are starting to develop a declaration on the mechanisms of influence in case of possible market shocks, including sharp price changes, in bilateral trade of sunflower oil, the press service of the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture said.
“The declaration is expected to signal the willingness of both sides to act together to prevent future market anomalies,” the Bulgarian agriculture ministry said in a statement following talks Friday in Sofia between Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev and Ukrainian Agropolitics Minister Nikolai Solsky.
The sides discussed an emergency protective measure of the European Commission to temporarily ban imports from Ukraine of four crops – wheat, corn, canola and sunflower – in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.
Gechev informed the participants of the negotiations about the Bulgarian government’s decision to lift the national ban on imports from Ukraine of a number of agricultural products and said the Bulgarian side will closely monitor the market both in terms of sunflower oil and other agricultural products.
“Bulgaria and Ukraine can work together to find long-term solutions for accelerated transit of agricultural goods to third countries and propose them to the European Commission,” the Bulgarian minister said.
He said that Bulgaria’s efforts are currently focused on the development of logistical systems through which solidarity corridors will function and fulfill the function for which they were created.
“Together we can face the challenges posed by the current situation and, in this way, solve them more quickly and efficiently,” Gechev stressed.
In turn, Nikolai Solski expressed the hope that the dialogue between the agrarian departments of the countries will continue. He assured his Bulgarian colleague that Ukraine was ready to jointly solve any arising issues in the future.
For its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy said after the talks that Bulgaria was ready to import all agricultural products from Ukraine, except for the four crops mentioned above.
Bulgaria has imposed a temporary ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine, except for goods that are in transit, Acting Prime Minister Galab Donev said.
“The main reason is that last year, contrary to the idea of the so-called “solidarity corridors,” significant amounts of food remained in the country and the main production and trade chains were disrupted. If this trend persists and even intensifies, which is quite possible after the introduction of similar bans from other countries, it could have very serious consequences for Bulgarian businesses,” bnr.bg quoted Donev as saying at Wednesday’s government meeting.
According to the acting prime minister, the government is forced to take this measure because “responsible European authorities are still considering an adequate response to the changed circumstances to which the solidarity corridors have led.”
Donev expressed hope that Brussels would hear the positions of EU member states – Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia – and reconsider its own. “Bulgaria remains in solidarity with Ukraine, but the bankruptcy of Bulgarian agricultural producers will not help this cause,” the prime minister stressed.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the Bulgarian government will decide on the duration of the temporary ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine.
Poland on April 15, after the congress of farmers, made a unilateral decision to temporarily halt imports of any agricultural products from Ukraine until June 30, 2023, despite the fact that on July 7, a bilateral agreement was reached with Ukraine to temporarily suspend exports of only four crops – wheat, corn, canola and sunflower, while transit was kept, but with tightened conditions, which the parties planned to agree upon quickly.
Similar decisions were then taken by Hungary and Slovakia.
On the night of April 20, Poland resumes the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products, but will apply a number of control mechanisms.
Farmers in Romania and Bulgaria staged protests on Friday against the European Union’s decision to exempt agricultural products from Ukraine, which has oversupplied local markets and contributed to lower prices, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Friday.
“Farmers in Romania and Bulgaria organized protests on Friday over the European Union’s stance on excessive supplies of Ukrainian agricultural products that have flooded local markets and weakened prices,” AP reports.
Protests were held in Bucharest and other cities in Romania. In Bulgaria, farmers blocked several border crossings.
“There are less than three months left before the new harvest and there is a danger that the products will not be able to be sold above the production price,” AP quoted Liliana Peron, executive director of the Romanian Farmers Association, as saying.
In recent weeks, Polish farmers have also been protesting against the EU’s duty-free supplies of Ukrainian grain to European markets, forcing the country’s Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk to resign.
Last year, the EU abolished customs tariffs for Ukraine to allow for freer grain supplies.
On Monday, the European Commission announced its desire to help the population of Ukraine by organizing the export of Ukrainian grain, but it is making sure that the EU market does not suffer too much from Kyiv’s support measures.
