BULGARIA’S PRESIDENT ROSEN PLEVNELIEV MET WITH FRANCE’S PRESIDENT FRANÇOIS HOLLANDE IN PARIS

“After the referendum in the United Kingdom, the European Union needs to be strengthened and receive another dose of trust. We must avoid the worst crisis, a moral one,” Bulgaria’s President Rosen Plevneliev said in Paris on 27th of June after talks with his French counterpart François Hollande.

President Plevneliev is on an official visit in France.

President Holland said that the European project had to be protected from uncertainty after the UK’s vote to leave.

“We have to remain friendly, but we have to be aware of the next moves,” Hollande said.

President Plevneliev said that it was important to start new projects of European integration such as the European energy union and the common digital union. It is also of a great importance to continue the process of EU enlargement, he noted.

“The weakening of the European project and the lack of European prospects for the partner countries in the region could lead to destabilization,” Plevneliev remarked.

He said that Bulgaria actively and consistently supports the process of EU enlargement. Strictly meeting the criteria of EU membership, according to the individual achievements of each country, continues to be a prerequisite for assessing the progress made, he added. On 4th of July, at the initiative of President Hollande, a summit will be held in Paris, at which the Balkans will be discussed, it emerged at the meeting.

Bulgaria relies on France’s support for joining the Schengen area, President Plevneliev said at the meeting in the Elysee Palace. France’s decision on the matter is still linked to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.

As regards the migration crisis, Rosen Plevneliev and Francois Hollande expressed their expectation that the undertaken commitments would be fulfilled. “All EU member states should show maximum solidarity to those who are first to bear the migration pressure because the external EU borders are not just Schengen,” President Plevneliev noted.

The talks between Presidents Rosen Plevneliev and Francois Hollande also focused on the opportunities to strengthen the economic ties. There is potential for French investments mainly in areas such as water and waste management, construction of infrastructure sites, food industry, biological agriculture, vineyard and winery branch, pharmaceutics, information technologies and tourism.

The Bulgarian side also shows an interest in strengthening the cooperation among the small and medium enterprises, inter-company cooperation and also in the area of innovations policy. There are real opportunities in the energy sector for implementing competitive energy projects, development of energy infrastructure, increasing energy efficiency and introduction of up-to-date energy-saving technologies. The French company Total took part in the procedure and signed an agreement on oil and gas exploration in the Black Sea in Block 1-21 Khan Asparuh.

Presidents Plevneliev and Hollande also discussed the need to strengthen NATO’s collective defence and the crisis management capabilities. The two Presidents think that the NATO summit in Warsaw on 8th and 9th July will contribute to enhancing the security of the Alliance’s member states. President Rosen Plevneliev recalled that Bulgaria supported Ukraine’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and our country insisted on reaching a peaceful solution for the crisis in Eastern Ukraine.

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