13.10.2017
The topic of the security of the Western Balkans and the European perspective for the countries of the region are in the focus of the talks of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and members of the cabinet with the Secretary General of the European Commission Alexander Italianer and the Chief of Cabinet of the EC President Martin Selmayr. The Commission representatives are on a two-day visit to Sofia.
During the meeting at the Council of Ministers today, the Prime Minister informed the EC delegation about the progress in the preparations of our country for the upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU and about the high-level meetings foreseen in the calendar. Among those is also the Summit on the Western Balkans, which is planned to be held in Sofia in May 2018. The initiative is in continuation of the debate for the need of a strong engagement of the EU with the region. It is expected that the meeting will be chaired by the European Council President Donald Tusk and it is to be attended by all heads of state and government of the EU. “We reiterate the desire of Sofia for a close cooperation with the EU institutions for the sake of a successful organization of the Summit and its maximum impact,” said Prime Minister Borissov during the meeting and pointed out that earlier this week he held a phone conversation on this subject with Donald Tusk.
The Prime Minister highlighted that the moto of the Presidency “United we stand” is an expression of Bulgaria’s willingness to work for cohesion, understanding, and an increase in the competitiveness and stability of European countries. “We also cooperate with our colleagues of the current Estonian Presidency in order to ensure maximum continuity and coherence of the dossiers that have been opened during their Presidency,” he noted.
During the meeting of Mr Italianer and Mr Selmayr with members of the cabinet, the Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018 Lilyana Pavlova presented the main priorities of our country that are part of the Program of the Bulgarian government for the six-month Presidency and expressed the commitment that it will be balanced, open to the EU citizens, and mostly – a Balkan Presidency. She acquainted them with the ambition of our country to provide for a clear European perspective for the citizens of the countries of the Western Balkans with the idea of creating more connectedness among the countries – economic, energy, transport, infrastructural, communicational and digital connectedness, as well as a guarantee for the peace, security, and prosperity of the region. “We do not want to create false hopes and expectations for those countries but we need to give them a clear idea about where they stand, what they have achieved, and what can be further done on their path to European integration,” explained Minister Pavlova.
She also outlined the rest of the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency related to guaranteeing security and stability for the citizens of the Union, encouraging entrepreneurship and innovations, providing a perspective for young people, as well as the future of the Cohesion Policy as a factor for creating social cohesion in Europe. The sustainable development of the countries from the Danube and Black Sea region will also be in the focus of the Bulgarian Presidency.
The Bulgarian Presidency will receive the support of the Commission for achieving the presented priorities to the interest of unity and solidarity in the Union, as well for creating a strong economic growth in the EU. We will work for the launch of the Office of the European Prosecutor as a priority. We are ready to strengthen the dialogue related to the fight against terrorism and we rely on Bulgaria for deepening the trans-border partnerships of the European Union, pointed out Alexander Italianer and Martin Selmayr. They confirmed the intention of the Commission to continue to insist for the accession of our country to the Schengen Area and for attaining mutual compatibility of the information systems for security, border management, and migration.
The Agenda of the EC Secretary General Alexander Italianer and the Head of Cabinet of the EC President Martin Selmayr also includes meetings with the Speaker of the National Assembly Dimitar Glavchev and with the Chairpersons of the parliamentary committees. During those meetings, the six events from the Parliamentary Dimension of the Bulgarian Presidency will be discussed.
All meetings will be attended by Minister Lilyana Pavlova and the Bulgarian Permanent Representative to the European Union Dimitar Tsanchev.
