JEAN-CLAUDE JUNKER: “I LOVE THE BULGARIANS!”

In the run up of the European Parliament elections, Jean-Claude Junker, the European People's Party candidate for President of the European Commission gave a special interview for the Bulgarian National Television and discussed his ambitions about Europe’s development in the next five years.

BNT: “Mr. Junker, what was your message to the Bulgarians?”

Jean-Claude Junker: “My main message was to tell the Bulgarians although we know that the natural place of Bulgaria is in Europe. I was remembering today that in April 2005 I was signing the accession treaty of Bulgaria. That was a great day for the Bulgarians, but it was also a great day in my life because I like them, I love Bulgarians.”

BNT: “If you are elected President of the European Commission what would you do to overcome the impact of the financial crisis on the everyday lives of the citizens?”

Jean-Claude Junker: “We have to pursue the efforts we have undertaken so far, mainly as far as the regulation of financial markets is concerned, that we have to develop a policy mainly oriented to growth and to jobs, without forgetting the need we have to further consolidate public finances. You cannot fight the crisis by adding debt to debt and by adding deficits to deficits. We can’t spend money we don’t have, but we can realize ideas we have. And if are further developing the internal market by completing it, if we bring to an end this curious digital landscape in Europe where twenty eight national systems are evolving one next to the other, by transforming this national digital market into one single digital European market, we can really add  a value to the European Union in the next five years, five hundred billions. We don’t have money, but we do have ideas.

BNT: “The crisis in Ukraine brought again on the top of the agenda Europe’s energy dependency on Russia. As a President of the Commission what solution would you seek to this problem?”

Jean-Claude Junker: We have to put into place a real European energy union. We have to make sure that this dependency on Russia will be brought to an end because it’s not only an economic and commercial dependency it’s also a political dependency. We have to unite our efforts, we have to stand together when negotiating with Russians and we have to realize one simple idea – if gas doesn’t come from the East then we have to bring gas from the West to the East”

BNT: “Final question. What is your dream Europe and what would you do to make this dream come true?”

Jean-Claude Junker: “My remaining big dream is peace. I do think that the events in Ukraine are like a wake up call to Europe. We always thought, may be those born after the Second World War that peace will never again come under threat. It has become under threat and we have to make sure that everyone will know and accept that we have to fight for our basic values and it doesn’t make a difference if we are French or German or Luxembourger or Belgium or Bulgarian. We have the same values and have to impose these values to the others.

BNT: “Thank you very much.”

BNT interviewer: Zornitsa Venkova

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