Bulgaria EU Commissioner: Convergence Program Approval Is Informal

Bulgaria in EU | April 23, 2010, Friday // 11:55|  views

Bulgaria's EU Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva, met with Friday with the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva (l). Photo by BGNES

The EC assessment Bulgaria's Convergence Program remains unofficial, Bulgaria's EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva confirms.

Georgieva spoke during a press conference Friday upon conclusion of her meeting with the speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva.

The European Commission submitted earlier its assessment about the country's Convergence Program and it has been discussed during the informal meeting of the EU finance ministers (ECOFIN) in Madrid last week, according to Georgieva, who added precisely because the forum had been informal, the assessment remains unofficial.

The Commissioner further explained that the EC position can be confirmed only during a formal meeting.

Georgieva's statement came in the aftermath of a controversy about what exactly happened in Madrid regarding Bulgaria's Convergence Program.

Exactly a week ago, Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, announced that during the informal meeting, the EC had evaluated the Convergence Program submitted by the Bulgarian government under the Stability and Growth Pact as “adequate.”

On Tuesday, however, Amadeu Altafaj, spokesperson of Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Ollie Rehn, said the European Commission had not reevaluated its assessment of the Bulgarian cabinet's Convergence Program.

On the same day, the Finance Ministry issued a press release, explaining the revised project received unofficial political approval at the informal ECOFIN meeting while the official one is certain and forthcoming.

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Tags: Kristalina Georgieva, EC, European Commission, finance minister, Simeon Djankov, Convergence Program, Eurozone, ERM II

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