Floating mines threaten ships and fishermen in the Black Sea, Georgi Sabev told the OECD

2023-05-08 10:40:00

Bulgaria is following the measures laid down in the Roadmap, with the aim of reaching the goals of the organization and joining it, said the Deputy Minister of Agriculture

A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture, led by Deputy Minister Georgi Sabev, participated in the 131st plenary session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which took place last week in Paris.

“Promoting sustainable and efficient fisheries will contribute to viable ecosystems, sustainable livelihoods of coastal communities and food security,” Deputy Minister Sabev said during the discussions. He expressed Bulgaria’s motivation and commitment to joining the organization. Georgi Sabev insisted that the implementation of a regional approach in the management of fish and marine resources should be among the priorities, as well as the energy transition in the sector should be encouraged, in line with the goals of the European Union.

Before the Committee, the Bulgarian Deputy Minister pointed out the challenges facing the country as a result of the military actions near the Black Sea. These include the threat to shipping and fishing safety due to floating mines, the energy crisis and the disruption of traditional fishing activities. It emphasizes the need to reduce the carbon footprint and dependence on fossil fuels.

The forum discussed a draft OECD Council Recommendation on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. The document provides guidance affecting species or areas on the high seas that are outside the purview of any regional fisheries management organization or agreement. In this regard, Deputy Minister Sabev made a proposal to improve the communication strategy of the Organization.

At the end of April, the Deputy Agrarian Minister and experts from the Plant Breeding Directorate also participated in a meeting of the Committee on Agriculture of the OECD, and this was Bulgaria’s first participation in this format. One of the topics of the meeting was the carbon footprint of food systems and its measurement at the company and product level. In this aspect, the implications for world agriculture, including international trade, were also discussed.

Deputy Minister Sabev noted that the proposals made by Bulgaria last November were included in the Declaration on Transformational Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems of the OECD Committee on Agriculture. At the time, our country indicated that it was implementing a number of measures to support farmers, with the aim of mitigating the consequences of the economic situation and ensuring food security of the population, caused by the recent international crises in the field of health and security.

Within the framework of the meeting, Deputy Minister Sabev held meetings with representatives of the OECD, which lead Bulgaria’s pre-accession process. He pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture is following the measures set out in the Roadmap for the period 2021-2023, with a view to achieving the OECD standards and fulfilling the membership criteria. “Our participation in the Global Agricultural Forum and the Committees on Agriculture and Fisheries of the OECD is a step forward towards our membership, in sync with the foreign policy priorities of our country,” commented Deputy Minister Georgi Sabev.