Bulgaria took over the Presidency of the General Affairs Council
12 December 2017 News
Bulgaria symbolically took over the rotating Presidency of the General Affairs Council. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emilia Kraleva took part in today’s meeting in Brussels on behalf of Bulgaria.
The Council finalised preparations for the forthcoming European Council. At their meeting, the EU heads of State or government will focus on security and defence, where they will welcome the launch of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). They will also review progress in other fields, in particular EU-NATO cooperation. The European Council will adopt conclusions regarding social issues, education and culture. The leaders will hold a debate on future migration policy in both its internal and external dimension and on questions concerning the Economic and Monetary Union.
“Bulgaria highly commends the focus on Permanent Structured Cooperation in the forthcoming discussion. While holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we will work actively for finalising the negotiations with the European Parliament on the European Defence Industrial Development Programme,” Deputy Minister Kraleva said in her statement. “We will keep supporting the further strengthening of EU-NATO cooperation, including in spheres such as counter-terrorism and cyber security.
Regarding migration, Bulgaria shares the understanding that addressing this challenge requires a holistic approach including strengthening control along the EU external bodies as well as an effective return policy. We must continue to monitor closely the situation along all migration routes.”
The General Affairs Council approved a Joint declaration on annual interinstitutional programming, which covers the period from 1 January 2018 until the end of the life of the present European Parliament. As the next holder of the rotating Presidency of the Council, Bulgaria will carry on the legislative work started by the Estonian Presidency.
A working lunch with EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and the foreign ministers of EU candidate countries was held within the framework of the Council. The Bulgarian representative stressed that the EU enlargement process is the best instrument for achieving stability, security and prosperity and an important incentive for carrying out the requisite tough reforms. Maintaining good-neighbourly relations and deepening regional cooperation is an integral part of the European integration process. The Bulgarian Presidency will be working actively for an improvement of the region’s connectivity in all its aspects: energy, transport, communications and digital.
The candidate countries and many of the Member States noted the role of the forthcoming Bulgarian Presidency for the reinsertion of the Western Balkans topic on the agenda of the European Union and said they expect the processes to accelerate next year.