May 14, 2010



His first words at the meeting with Bulgaria’s National Assembly speaker Tsetska Tsacheva were that he keeps unforgettable memories about his visit to Bulgaria and the Bulgarian parliament on March 3, 2010, as well as about his meetings with Bulgarian nationals. The two leaders met on May 14, 2010 during the annual Conference of the Speakers of the European Union Parliaments. This year the Conference is taking place in the Swedish capital and the topics chosen for discussions are: "The Lisbon Treaty and Interparliamentary Cooperation and New Technologies and Forms of Communication – the challenges for parliaments.

Jerzy Buzek expressed his interest of the situation in Bulgaria - in particular of the policies undertaken to overcome the economic crisis. He praised the stability of the institutions and the support given by the parliament to PM Boyko Borisov while his government is undertaking strong policies to fight corruption and tackle the economic crisis.

Tsetska Tsacheva informed the President of the European parliament about the changes adopted into the Rules of Organization and Procedures of the National Assembly adopted in order to meet the country's obligations under the Lisbon Treaty. Upon the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the Bulgarian Parliament made amendments to Chapter 10 of its Rules, which regulate the means of supervision over the activities of Europol and Eurojust, pursuant to Art. 76, art. 85 and Art. 88 of the Treaty in the area of freedom, security and justice. The president of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek forwarded his kind regards to the Bulgarian MPs and personally to the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

At the forum in Stockholm, the Bulgarian speaker of parliament Tsetska Tsacheva stressed the importance of national parliaments in the legislative process of the Union in exercising control on whether the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality are implemented. She pointed out that this is particularly important for citizens of the new Member States because it gives them the confidence that the control over the EU institutions could be carried out on a level close to them, namely by the members of their national parliaments.

She added that in order to strengthen the role of national parliaments in the pan-European processes, it is necessary not only to deepen the exchange of information, but also create better opportunities for direct access to this information to voters.

The Speakers of EU Parliaments had an audience with Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.