Bulgaria’s National Assembly ratified today unanimously by 180 votes the Accession Treaty of Croatia in the European Union. The speaker of Croatia’s parliament Boris Sprem attended the solemn ratification on the invitation of the National Assembly’s President.

The accession treaty of Croatia to the EU was signed on December 9th, 2011 in Brussels during the sitting of the European Council. The treaty is expected to take effect on 1 July 2013, following the ratification of Croatia and the 27 Member States of the European Union.

The chairwoman of the National Assembly Tsetska Tsacheva stressed that Bulgaria is among the first countries to ratify the Treaty. She emphasized that for Bulgaria the ratification is not just a formal act, but another proof for its support for the European perspective of the countries in the region.  

Parliamentary members from different political groups took the floor to express support for the ratification emphasizing that all the countries in the region and the Western Balkans should integrate in the EU.

After the ratification vote the Speaker of Croatia’s parliament Boris Sprem addressed the Bulgarian parliament.

He noted that Croatia’s full membership to the EU is like coming back home. He thanked the Bulgarian deputies and expressed confidence that the two countries will contribute to the prosperity and stability not only to the region but to the entire European Union. He noticed that even though there goes a saying that there are no friendships in politics, but interests only, he would call nevertheless the Croatian – Bulgarian relations friendly, pointing to the fact that the two peoples understand each other without translation, belong to one and the same region in Southeastern Europe and work together for its stability and advancement.