17.06.2020
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the President of the European Council Charles Michel had a telephone conversation. At the initiative of Michel, the two discussed the video conference of the heads of state and government of the EU member states, which will take place at the end of this week. During the conference, European leaders will discuss the Recovery Plan for Europe, which the European Commission formally proposed on 27 May.
In his conversation with the President of the European Council, Prime Minister Borissov noted that he considered the European Commission's proposal to be very balanced, especially given the serious challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister expressed his positive attitude towards the recovery plan, emphasizing the importance of taking into account the starting position of the economies of each Member State, as well as their strength to respond to crises.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov stated that it is important for Bulgaria to keep the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy at the levels of the current proposal. The Prime Minister reminded that for the younger Member States, traditional EU budgetary policies are essential for achieving pan-European standards and increasing competitiveness. With regard to the Multiannual Financial Framework, Borissov also acknowledged as positive the adequate funding on migration and security issues, which coincides with the Prime Minister's understanding of the key importance of protecting the EU's external borders.
Regarding the Just Transition Fund, Prime Minister Borissov put an emphasis on the need for it to be more flexible in order to meet the needs of Member States to the fullest extent. In this sense, according to Borissov, it is good to consider the possibility of the Fund to provide funds for the promotion and development of green energy capacity in regions where energy capacity has not existed so far. According to him, this would help more regions to bring a "green" positive for the EU economy.
The conversation highlighted the various aspects of the Recovery Plan for Europe, which consists of the proposal for a new Multiannual Financial Framework and the Next Generation EU instrument, tailor-made in response to the challenges in the fight against COVID-19. The Next Generation EU instrument consists of three pillars: support to Member States with investments and reforms, kick-starting the EU economy by incentivizing private investments and addressing the lessons of the crisis. The first pillar includes the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Just Transition Fund. The third pillar provides for the strengthening of the Civil Protection Mechanism, the creation of a new Health Programme to invest in the EU health system and the strengthening of the Horizon Europe Programme in funding research.
The focus of the conversation between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the President of the European Council Charles Michel was also the Mobility I Package - a topic on which Borissov talked earlier today with the representatives of the associations of carriers. Borissov expressed the view that accepting the current proposal would be a mistake, as it contains contradictions. The Prime Minister gave an example with one of the consequences of the adoption of the Package, which will lead to thousands of kilometers travelled in vain from heavy machinery and to additional air pollution with harmful emissions, which does not meet the common European commitment to environmental protection.
