European agriculture criteria cannot be met without consultancy and partnership between public and private companies, Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil said.

Kabil took part in the informal meeting of the Council of Ministers, Bulgarian National Radio reported. The summit is taking place in Austria and will last until May 20.

Representatives of Denmark, Greece, Malta, the Czech Republic, Turkey, UK and Finland also participate in the forum.

The role of agriculture councils in increasing the competitiveness of the European agriculture production would be a focus of the discussions, the national radio reported.

Bulgaria expects the creation of European network of agriculture councils, which would enable representatives of different countries meet and exchange experience, Kabil said.

Kabil will meet his counterparts from EU member states during the forum. He will present the specific measures Bulgaria is undertaking to deal with criticism in the latest European Commission report on the country’s readiness to join the union.