Bulgaria President Demands Consensus on EU Funds Absorption

Bulgaria's PM, Boyko Borisov (l), and President, Georgi Parvanov (r), at the KSNS meeting Monday. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's President, Georgi Parvanov, opened Monday the meting of the Consultative Council for National Security (KSNS) with an appeal for consensus regarding the absorption of EU funds.

Parvanov stated that the topic of the Monday agenda was selected over the need of concrete measures to reach the above said consensus, adding both the public and the EU institutions had to become aware that the authorities in Bulgaria are in agreement regarding the funds.

The KSNS meeting is the first since the July general elections in Bulgaria and was convened by the President to discuss the compliance with the criteria of the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification set by the European Commission to assist Bulgaria in the absorption of the EU funds and the results of the official visit to Brussels on September 9 and 10, led by Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov.

"There is no left-wing or right-wing when we talk about the compliance and the measures in absorbing the EU funds," the President declared.

The KSNS draft statement points out the meeting's participants approve the political commitment of the cabinet for larger-scale initiatives in order to create a strategic approach towards Bulgaria's justice system and the fight against corruption and organized crime, expressed during the Brussels visit. The draft also stresses that KSNS supports the schedule for the needed urgent measures and actions of the cabinet and the legal authorities.

Former PM and leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Sergey Stanishev, also spoke at the meeting, pointing out in July Bulgaria has received the first positive report admitting the country's progress, and that the current cabinet now has the chance to eliminate the mechanism altogether. According to Stanishev, those in charge must be very careful when making administrative changes. The BSP leader further said he was alarmed by the fact that no new contracts have been signed in the last two months.

Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, on his part, pointed out the Monday meeting came a year and half too late, because this is when politicians in Bulgaria became fully aware the country has serious, unresolved issues with the EU.

Lyutvi Mestan, from the opposition ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) vouched support for the President, who, according to him, had chosen the precise moment to convene KSNS.

 

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