Farmers have ended their protest. Their representatives will sign in Sofia the memorandum proposed by the government. It provides for extending the ban on imports of sunflower seeds from Ukraine until the quantities produced during the 2022-2023 farming season are exhausted. Negotiations are underway with the European Commission to ban imports of Ukrainian agricultural production exceeding 10% of the net domestic production. Today, the government approved additional spending from the budget to the tune of of BGN 63 million (EUR 32.2 million) to support farmers under national measures and to compensate them for the higher prices of energy, animal feed, plant protection products, fuels and fertilizers.

Earlier today, farmers had gathered near the capital city with the intention to enter the centre of Sofia with heavy agricultural machinery to protest against the lifting of the ban on the imports of Ukrainian grain. The leader of "Vazrazhdane" party Kostadin Kostadinov came to them, but the protesters said they did not want the protest to be politicized.

• Farmers remain near Sofia, still ready to protest

  
  

• Bulgarian authorities receive the two protests - of farmers and miners - ‎with open doors