26 August 2009

The National Assembly President Tsetska Tsacheva met on 26 August 2009 with the German Province of Bavaria Landtag member and former Prime and Interior Minister of the said province, Mr. Gunther Beckstein. Attending the meeting were the parliament’s Deputy Chairman, Dr. Luchezar Ivanov, the co-chair of the PP GERB parliamentary group Krasimir Velchev, the Committee on Internal Security and Public Order Chair Anastas Anastasov and MPs Todor Dimitrov and Krasimir Tsipov. On the German side attending was the Institute for International Relations of the Munich “Hans Zaidel” Foundation Director Christian Johan Hegemer.

The chairwoman presented before the guests the legislative priorities of the 41st National Assembly and confirmed the will the fast and quality reforms, expected by the society, to be carried out. She emphasized in particular on the policies aimed at countering the corruption and organized crime and to ensure the citizens’ security. She mentioned that the National Assembly had held the previous day a forum on the subject “police in the modern society – the need of reform in Bulgaria”. She added that all the participants have agreed on the understanding that a complete strategy for the security sector in the country was to be worked out.

Mrs. Tsacheva noted that another of the priorities was the increase of incomes, together with overcoming the consequences of the economic and financial crisis.

The reform in the health care system was also emphasized during the conversations, as well as the country’s infrastructure development.

Gunther Beckstein accentuated on the importance of Bulgaria for the EU, being a country with centuries of old history and culture. Your country has all the chances to benefit in the most efficient way from the advantages given to it by the European membership, he added further.

During the talks the two parties gave high assessment to the relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the German province of Bavaria. The head of Bulgaria’s parliament and the German guest expressed confidence that this partnership will develop further.