EU Commissioner on Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos has expressed confidence that the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU will be successful. The guest has had talks with MPs from the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of European Funds and the Committee on Internal Security and Public Order in parliament.

It is a critical time for Europe and the role of the country holding the presidency is very important, said Dimitris Avramopoulos. Bulgaria has started preparing for the presidency at a time when I expect that we develop together sustainable EU policies on the issues related to migration and border protection, he added. Your country plays a key role in tackling the migration flow from Turkey, said Dimitris Avramopolous and extended his gratitude to all Bulgarian institutions for their resolution to tackle this unprecedented challenge.

Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Chair of the Committee on Internal Security and Public Order, emphasised that the Bulgarian MPs from all political forces had been working very hard and in coordination on the forthcoming presidency of the Council of the EU. We are trying to overcome political disagreements, which is something normal in the national parliaments, in the name of our common priority task, he added.

The issues related to migration, and the EU prospect for the Western Balkans are priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency. He explained that our country wanted to also focus on cyber security and cyberattacks.

There is ongoing active preparation for implementing the parliamentary dimension of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in Parliament, said Kristian Vigenin, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds, at the talks. Probably by mid-November the Bulgarian Parliament will make its proposals on the draft agenda for the presidency of the Council of the EU and certainly the issues related to migration and internal affairs will have a leading role, he emphasised. There is agreement and unity of action in the National Assembly on the whole range of issues related to the Bulgarian presidency, and this is a precondition for its success and for Bulgaria’s contribution at a time of key significance for the EU, added Kristian Vigenin.

EU Commissioner on Migration, Internal Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos assured the MPs that he would continue supporting Bulgaria and praised our country for its participation in the common efforts of the EU to tackle migration pressure. Dimitris Avramopoulos expressed his own and the European Commission’s support for Bulgaria’s joining Schengen as soon as possible. In his words, more work should be done to strengthen the external borders and better control free movement, instead of preventing it.