Bulgaria's PM Borissov: Specific focus is needed on the poorest European regions

"The ambitions of the EU to be a global leader should be supported by the necessary resources. It also means ensuring adequate funding for Cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy, which is best demonstrated by the results from the European investment,” Bulgaria’s Prime Minister said during the plenary session of the Friends of Cohesion Summit in Prague.

The leaders of the 17 EU Member States, who form the Group, have gathered in the Czech capital to send a strong message on the importance of Cohesion Policy with a view to approaching the last phase of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) negotiations for 2021-2027.

Bulgarian PM was adamant that Cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy have proven added value and that their results are visible and tangible to the European citizens.

"It is important for Cohesion Policy to ensure not only sufficient funding, but also a fair distribution of resources so as to overcome inequalities between different regions and the backwardness," Prime Minister Borissov said. In his words, a specific focus is needed on the development of the poorest, lagging European regions. "Such regions, with a GDP below 50% of the EU average, are not only in Bulgaria, and I think it is of common interest to support them," PM Borissov told other leaders in Prague.

Borissov added that the rules for both the Cohesion and the Common Agricultural Policy should not lead to additional administrative and financial burdens on national budgets, which poses a risk for the implementation of the programs and for investments, especially in less developed regions.

In his statement, he said that the group's leaders should focus their efforts in several directions. It is important to oppose the division between net recipients and net donors. The benefits of the two policies are for all European citizens, the Bulgarian PM said.

He also stressed that a separation between new and old EU priorities should not be allowed. "Traditional policies, science and innovation, migration and security, and climate change are all important to us. That is why we are pushing for an ambitious EU budget, which will allow us to keep up to date and meet the many challenges."

According to the Bulgarian Prime Minister, the Friends of Cohesion group should strive not only to rebalance calls for cuts in the EU budget, but also to play an active role in upholding a reliable European budget for the benefit of all European citizens.

At the end of the Prague Summit, leaders will adopt a Group Statement endorsing the countries' shared positions with a view to developing the MFF negotiations and focusing on the importance of Cohesion Policy.