Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has called for stronger guarantees for owners of farmland known as "white spots", the institution said in a statement.

Delcheva says people should be able to find out easily how much money they are owed and by when they will get it. Her opinion was sent to Yavor Gechev, chair of the parliament's committee on agriculture, food and forests. Agriculture and food minister Plamen Abrovski and Silvia Georgieva, executive director of the National Association of Municipalities, received copies.

The ombudsman says the rights of "white spot" owners must be taken into account when the bill is debated. Better use of farmland should not come at the expense of owners' right to the money due for their property, she says.

Changes to Article 37v, paragraph 7 of the Law on Ownership and Use of Agricultural Land have been in force since 25 September. Under them, payments for the use of "white spots" that owners have not claimed for 10 years go into an account for third-party funds in the budget of the State Fund "Agriculture". The money then moves to the Mutual Fund for financing risk management tools in agriculture.

The total of these payments for use of such land is about €40.9m (80m leva), according to Agriculture Ministry data from 2018.

On 17 September, MPs passed changes at second reading to the Law on Support for Agricultural Producers. They decided that the State Fund "Agriculture" can help farmers hit by bad weather through the Mutual Fund.

Georgi Georgiev of the "Progressive Bulgaria" parliamentary group submitted the bill to amend and add to the land law. At first reading on 24 September it won 126 votes in favour, from "Progressive Bulgaria", "Vazrazhdane" and one MP each from GERB-SDS and "We Continue the Change". No one voted against. A total of 46 MPs abstained, from GERB-SDS, DPS, "Democratic Bulgaria" and "We Continue the Change". The bill is yet to be debated.