29.09.2017
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte expressed his high appreciation for the efforts made by the Bulgarian government in counteracting smuggling and corruption and assured Prime Minister Borissov that Bulgaria is on the right track.
During their bilateral meeting, held in Tallinn before the start of the Summit on digital technologies, Borissov acquainted his colleague with the anti-corruption law drafted by the government, as well as with the results from the joint actions by the law enforcement agencies, the revenue agencies, and the prosecution in counteracting smugglers’ channels and groups, which harm not only the Bulgarian economy but also the economies of the other EU countries. He gave the example of the study published a few days ago on illegal trade in cigarettes, which shows record low levels for Bulgaria of 7 per cent. According to this indicator, our country ranks eight within the EU, surpassing countries like France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Borissov informed Rutte about the measures taken in protection of the external border of the European Union, as well as with the current situation with the migratory pressure. He reminded of the high appreciation for the border protection expressed by EU institutions and heads of state and government that visited our country.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov was categortical that Bulgaria fulfills the criteria for entering the “waiting room” for the Eurozone and the Schengen Area, and will continue with its daily actions to convince its European partners in this.
Prime Minister Borissov invited his Dutch counterpart Rutte to attend the summit organized by the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in May in Sofia on the topic “The European Union and the Western Balkans – dialogue, perspectives, cooperation, and partnership.”
