Dr. Valentin Atanasov has been appointed as the interim Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) by order of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov. This new appointment comes following the sudden passing of the agency's leader, Svetlozar Patarinski, on November 2.
At present, Dr. Atanasov holds the position of Deputy Executive Director of the Agency, with responsibilities over the "Healthcare, Identification, and Humane Treatment of Animals" Directorate, the "Control of Feed and Animal By-Products" Directorate, the "Control of Veterinary Medicinal Products" Directorate, and the "Border Control" Directorate, as well as the National Diagnostic Research Veterinary Medical Institute "Prof. Dr. G. Pavlov" – Sofia, in relation to the diagnostics of animal diseases.