Nickolay Mladenov in Ireland: “Everyone in the EU should keep to the rules”
23 November 2011 News
In times of crisis such as these, it is important that all in the European Union keep to the rules. It is precisely because of continuous and systematic violations of the rules, and not the effects of enlargement, that the euro crisis has arisen. This was emphasised by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov in a lecture in Dublin at the Irish Institute of International and European Affairs. Mladenov said that in Bulgaria, for close to 15 years there had been consensus on fiscal discipline and macroeconomic stability, but he noted that the image of the region also affects the investment climate in Bulgaria. For this reason, it is important to Bulgaria that its neighbours do well, and so the country was working for the rapid integration of the Western Balkans into the EU, he emphasised. According to Mladenov, along with the integration of Croatia, the EU should start negotiations with Montenegro, as a sign that EU expansion is not over and that it is proceeding according to the merits of the candidates.
Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister described what is happening in the Arab world as a real test for Europe, which should actively support the democratization of the countries of North Africa. In this regard, he mentioned the Sofia Platform (hyperlink) held in Sofia in May and the forthcoming conference on transitional justice (hyperlink).
In Dublin, Nickolay Mladenov held talks with his Irish colleague Eamon Gilmore, with whom he discussed both the situation in the Western Balkans and the Middle East, as well as labour market conditions in Ireland. At the request of the Bulgarian side, Minister Gilmore committed the Government to carefully consider the topic of work restrictions for Bulgarians. This latter issue was the main one raised by the Bulgarian community at a meeting with Minister Mladenov at the embassy.