The high turnout will give more weight to the new EP
24 April 2014 News
The upcoming European Parliament elections will be different because for the first time except for MEPs, we indirectly vote also for president of the European Commission. Under the Lisbon Treaty, the political family that wins the elections, will appoint a candidate for president of the European Commission, said Minister Kristian Vigenin during the discussion on the topic "Bulgaria in the European Union: Ensuring Sustainable Development" in Burgas. The higher the turnout is, the more weight the EP will have in imposing decisions, the Foreign Minister said.
Minister Vigenin presented to the students the positives that Bulgaria's membership in the European Union has brought to the young people."Imagine what it would be if Bulgaria was not an EU member. Would you be able to travel, to learn and to take advantage of all the benefits that this membership gives you?,”he asked.
The Foreign Minister pointed out that in recent years more than 60% of the trade turnover of Bulgaria is with EU countries, and 65% ofthe public investment is carried out with funds from the Union and they contribute substantially to the growth of our economy. The other advantages, mentioned by Kristian Vigenin during the meeting, were related to the resources from the European funds. For the next program period Bulgaria will receive 15 billion euro.
The Minister said that despite all these positives, the financial crisis of recent years has had a negative impact on the perception of citizens about the effectiveness of the EU. According to Vigenin, the solution to this problem is in the real economic growththat creates new jobs, and measures in this direction are included in the Pact for Growth and Jobs, adopted by the EU in 2012.
Stimulating the tourism sector will also have a positive impact on the Bulgarian economy, the Foreign Minister said, adding that to achieve this goal we need a long-term strategy for sustainable development of the sector, whose performance should be a responsibility of both the state and the business. Its concern should be to facilitate and support the procedure for issuing visas to foreign tourists, as well as the development of cultural and eco - tourism, Vigenin said.
Another important factor for the Black Sea region is the development of transport. Minister Vigenin said that a priority in the government’s program is the accelerated completion of Corridor VIII to Burgas and Varna, "Black Sea"highway, "Karnobat- Sindel" railway line and the container terminals in Varna and Burgas, as well as the development of Black Sea – Mediterranean blue zone.
The meeting was held at the Burgas Free University and it is the second event within the initiative of the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 'I vote because I'm interested!" whose purpose is to promote the participation of young people in the European elections. Among the other participants in the discussion were Grigor Porozhanov, Director of Foreign Economic Relations Directorate at the MFA, and the rector of the BFU Professor Galia Hristozova.
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