"Growing oilseed crops is a traditional activity in Bulgaria, which has important social, economic and cultural dimensions. That is why the country insists on maintaining the current approach to their classification", Bulgaria's Minister of Agriculture and Food Kiril Vatev said at the meeting of his colleagues in Luxembourg.

His position was supported by France, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy and Hungary. Minister Vatev noted that the traditional cultivation of oilseed crops should continue and the incomes of the people employed in the sector should be preserved. In his words, the production of emblematic essential oils is highly valued by consumers in the EU and third countries.

“With regard to essential oils, I said that there is a centuries-old tradition and their safety has been proven. 10 laboratories in the world have proven the safety of Bulgarian rose oil and lavender oil”, Minister Kiril Vatev went on to say.