Bulgaria abstained from voting on the European Parliament's proposal for a regulation on plants obtained through new genomic techniques. The Ministry of Agriculture continues to hold public consultations with scientists to ensure that the national position protects the public interest, Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev said at a discussion at the National Assembly. 

''The Bulgarian society is still not sufficiently informed about the new genomic techniques," said Minister Vatev. ''People continue to confuse GMOs with new genomic techniques. There is enough scientific evidence for the benefits of the new genomic techniques'', Kiril Vatev stressed referring to the medicine where over 7,000 diseases, which were once considered untreatable, are treated with genomic products without any complaints of side effects. Minister Vatev assured that the public debate will continue until people can make informed decisions.