Bulgaria Parliament Votes on Establishment of Tobacco Committees

Source from:  FOCUS Information Agency 09/11/2015

Bulgarian parliament approved the establishment of committees on tobacco as standing authorities with the District Agriculture Directorates after adopting amendments to the Tobacco and Tobacco Products Act on first reading on Thursday, FOCUS News Agency reporter said.

The amendments were filed by Rumen Hristov, chairperson of the parliamentary committee on agriculture and food products. They were adopted with 163 votes for, 0 votes against, while 2 MPs abstained.

The committees on tobacco will work on issues connected with the production, quality assessment and purchase of tobacco.

With some of the other amendments the parliament envisages the establishment and maintenance of a register of the tobacco producers, which will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

Under the amendments, the tobacco can be purchased by physical or juridical persons, who have a permit for such activities.

The Bulgarian lawmakers voted on two more draft bills with amendments to the act.

One of them, filed by the Council of Ministers, envisages for the quality, pureness and origin of the tobacco seeds to be controlled by the Executive Agency for Plant Variety Testing, Approbation and Seed Control under conditions and rules set in the Seed Stock and Planting Stock Act. The proposals were adopted.

The third draft bill discussed was proposed by MP Lyutvi Mestan with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) party. It was turned down with 55 votes for, 57 votes against, while 53 MPs abstained.

It envisaged for the Council of Ministers to work out a national strategy on tobacco production development.

Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture and Food Desislava Taneva attended the debates at the parliament and called for the act to be adopted because otherwise there was a risk of an EU infringement procedure against Bulgaria. Enditem