06.12.2019
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met with the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel. The topic of their talks at the Council of Ministers was Gabriel's priorities during the five-year term of the new European Commission that took office on 1 December.
Prime Minister Borissov was certain that the area of responsibility of Mariya Gabriel is a great recognition for Bulgaria and at the same time gives many opportunities to work so to satisfy the interest of the European Union and its citizens. Borissov expressed certainty that Gabriel would successfully lead in her area of responsibility, which combines fundamental European values such as education, culture and youth with current topics such as supercomputers and digital hubs. The Prime Minister pointed out the serious responsibility of Mariya Gabriel, who will manage the Horizon Europe program, with a budget of € 100 billion proposed by the European Commission.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov emphasised that Mariya Gabriel's area of responsibility in the new Commission also corresponds with key priorities of the Bulgarian government's program, towards which the cabinet works on a daily basis. "I am sure that the established strong trust and excellent cooperation between Bulgaria and the European Commission will continue in the future," the Prime Minister said and added that he would also rely on Mariya Gabriel's efforts in this direction.
Mariya Gabriel, for her part, said that she takes the responsibilities of European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth as a huge honor. Gabriel underlined that she and her team will seek to address the serious challenges facing Europe by focusing first and foremost on the benefits for the European citizens. Mariya Gabriel put an emphasis on the importance of education and lifelong learning opportunities, the perspectives for young people, the support for researchers, the promotion of innovation and the preservation of cultural heritage.
Mariya Gabriel was certain that the new European Commission would work with its colleagues in a spirit of cooperation and trust, so that many common initiatives would be implemented and that the expectations of the European citizens and the challenges facing the European Union would be met to the fullest.
