Bulgaria joins 16 EU states in call to protect cohesion and farm funding

Bulgaria and 16 other EU member states have called for cohesion and agricultural funding to be maintained in the bloc’s 2028–2034 budget, the Bulgarian government press office said.

In a joint letter to European Council President António Costa and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, whose country holds the rotating EU Council presidency, the leaders warned that cuts could weaken the EU budget and public support for the bloc. The 17 countries, known as the Friends of Cohesion group, are seeking to protect funding for cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy as negotiations continue over the EU’s next long-term budget.

They said new priorities, including security and defence, competitiveness, energy security and resilience, should receive adequate additional resources rather than be funded at the expense of cohesion policy and agriculture.

The appeal comes ahead of an EU summit on October 15–16, when leaders are due to discuss the 2028–2034 budget.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova