Members of the Bulgarian Parliament held a meeting with Ms. Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs. It was attended by the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Mr. Tsvetan Tsvetanov. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Anastas Anastasov, Vice President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria and Chairman of the Internal Security and Public Order Committee.
Mr. Dobroslav Dimitrov, Chairman of the Foreign Policy and Defense Committee and members of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds, the Internal Security and Public Order Committee and the Anti-Corruption, Conflict of Interests and Parliamentary Ethics Committee participated in the meeting.
Mr. Anastasov greeted the EU Commissioner and underlined that the accession of Bulgaria to the Schengen Area is a major national priority. He informed Ms. Malmström of the great amount of work done within the National Assembly in order to fulfill the specific criteria and procedures for application of the Schengen acquis in our country, such as: a number of reforms and legislative changes related to the Ministry of Interior, the Judicial System, the human rights protection, the creation of a specialized court for high-profile cases, etc. Mr. Anastasov added that the Parliament monitors closely the work of the Government and the realization of the Action Plan, so that we receive positive Interim and Final Reports, meet the deadline and by the end of March be technically ready to join Schengen. Moreover, on all inter-parliamentary meetings and other fora the ambition of the Bulgarian National Assembly is to manifest our country’s progress and its ability to guarantee the safety and security of the EU external border.
Mr. Dobroslav Dimitrov stated that the accession of Bulgaria to the Schengen Area is a responsibility rather than a privilege. He pointed out that the “Schengen” cause has united all political parties and is subject to an unprecedented support. Mr. Dimitrov added that a parliamentary foreign-political activities Program in support to the Bulgarian accession to Schengen has been elaborated and unanimously accepted at a joint sitting of the Foreign Policy and Defense Committee and the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds. He explained that at this time Ms. Monika Panayotova, Chairwoman of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds is at the COSAC Chairpersons meeting in Budapest, Hungary, which is the first initiative of the Program. Mr. Dimitrov went on to announce that a joint declaration on the readiness to join the Schengen Area is to be signed by the Bulgarian and Romanian Foreign Policy Committees
Commissioner Malmström thanked for the opportunity to visit Bulgaria for the first time and underlined after the Lisbon Treaty the national parliaments play a much bigger role and have a greater influence on EU policy making. Ms. Malmström advised that the EU arena should be used to fight organized crime, cyber-crime and corruption, seize criminal assets and guarantee the security of the citizens. Regarding her visit to the Bulgarian-Turkish border, the EU Commissioner stated that it has been an interesting and useful experience. She has been impressed with the serious efforts made for the fulfillment of the technical criteria and with the high level of technical equipment.
Ms. Malmström added that besides the technical readiness, a political decision by all member states is needed for the Bulgarian accession to Schengen. She pointed out that the Hungarian Presidency is working hard to reach an agreement between all parties within its mandate. Ms. Malmström highlighted that the EU Commission has supported the Bulgarian and Romanian accession process with funds and expertise since the beginning. She has called upon the member states which question the two countries’ readiness to formulate precisely and specifically what they do not approve, focusing on border issues.
In conclusion, Commissioner Malmström stated that Bulgaria’s accession is also a matter of trust and the results achieved under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism are important.
Mr. Asen Agov, member of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds expressed his concern about the lack of a clear common position of the EU on the events in Northern Africa and Egypt in particular. He emphasized on the enormous responsibility which Bulgaria has as an external EU border, facing a heavy immigration wave. He argued that with view to the common EU security, it is better for our country to rely on the support of all Schengen Area member states, rather than dealing with this complicated issue alone.
Ms. Meglena Plugchieva, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds, stated that the EU is in a difficult situation which leads to greater responsibilities. She underlined that Bulgaria expects no gifts in the Schengen Area accession process. On the contrary, we call upon all member states to support us and recognize the serious efforts our country has made since 2007. Ms. Plugchieva confirmed the politically unbiased nature of this priority and expressed her will and readiness to familiarize our foreign partners with Bulgaria’s achievements.