08.11.2017
As a Presidency country, Bulgaria will seek agreement and will work for the unity of the Union, pointed out the Prime Minister at a joint session in Brussels of the Bulgarian government and the College of Commissioners.
“Bulgaria is ready to take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Our ambition is that during the Bulgarian Presidency the Union will become stronger and more resilient.” This was said by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov at today’s joint session of the Bulgarian government and the European Commission on the occasion of the upcoming rotating presidency of our country in the first half of 2018 and the preparations for it.
Borissov pointed out that the responsibility of the Presidency is big, but after ten years of membership Bulgaria has proven its reliability and stability, “As an EU member, Bulgaria witnessed and participated in the solution of a number of crises – economic and financial, migration, etc. But at the current moment the EU is by far more stable, and it is this foundation that Bulgaria wants to build upon,” said the Prime Minister.
According to him, the motto of the Bulgarian Presidency “United we stand stronger” is a lesson learned from our own history and as a Presidency country Bulgaria will seek agreement and will work for the unity of the Union.
“We are aware that there is a lot of work ahead of us. That is why, our efforts will be mainly concentrated in three directions: consensus, competitiveness, and cohesion,” said Prime Minister Borissov. He noted that the hard negotiations on Brexit that will take place during the Bulgarian Presidency will not overshadow the other issues of importance to the European citizens, such as security and migration, economic management, the creation of the energy union, environmental protection, strengthening the EU role on the international scene. “People expect from us concrete, visible results. We should be responsible and have solidarity. We will put all efforts needed in reaching a consensus on the issues of security and migration, strengthening of border controls, the asylum system reform, the distribution of the future EU budget,” highlighted Boyko Borissov.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister paid particular heed to the need of a special attention to the Western Balkans. “The whole Union has an interest in the security, stability, and the progress of this region. We will not create false expectations, but we will work for the expansion of the cooperation with the countries from the region,” he said, pointing out that a lot can be done for the connectedness of the region – transport, communication, infrastructure, energy.
Borissov also commented on the forthcoming discussions on the next EU budget, thereby underlining that the quest for funds for new activities should not happen at the expense of policies of proven impact, such as the Cohesion Policy. “Bulgaria can be a role-model when it comes to the results of the Cohesion Policy. Without cohesion the EU cannot move ahead,” said the Prime Minister.
Boyko Borissov defined the increase in EU competitiveness and the strengthening of the Single Market as a priority of huge importance for the citizens and the business. According to him, the future belongs to the Digital Single Market, as well as to the deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union. “We need better economic management, a more stable bank system, a clear framework for the functioning of capital markets. Bulgaria remains a supporter of closer integration and an expression thereof is our ambition to join the Eurozone,” pointed out the Prime Minister.
Borissov expressed satisfaction with the frank talks with the College of Commissioners, with the coincidence in the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency and the working program of the Commission, and stated his expectation for the future continuation of the excellent cooperation between the government and the EC.
Within the framework of the joint session today, interventions were made by the EC President Jean-Claude Juncker, Commissioners Timmermans, Han, and Oettinger, Deputy Prime Ministers Zaharieva and Dontchev, and Ministers Pavlova and Goranov. They presented the working programs of the Commission and the Bulgarian Presidency, the topic of the Western Balkans, and the work on the Multiannual Financial Framework.
