Friendship between Bulgaria and Romania is historically determined, we joined the EU together, we have the same views and similar problems to resolve, said Speaker of Parliament Dimitar Glavchev to Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, President of the Romanian Senate.

A Bulgarian parliamentary delegation, led by the Speaker of Parliament, is on a two-day official visit to Romania at the invitation of the President of the Romanian Senate.

At the meeting, it was noted that Bulgaria and Romania supported all projects discussed at government and parliament level. The projects include a bridge over the Danube between Silistra and Calarsi, a new bridge between Ruse and Guirgui, Nikopol – Turnu Măgurele hydropower system on the Danube, and Bulgaria – Romania gas interconnector, which needs a compressor station. It was emphasised that the better infrastructure would strengthen trade and economic exchange. The President of the Romanian Senate said that it was very important to build corridors to connect the Baltic Sea and the Aegean Sea.

Bulgaria and Romania have fulfilled the Schengen criteria, said Speaker of Parliament Dimitar Glavchev, adding that the two countries should maintain and enhance their cooperation on that topic until we become Schengen member states. The development of Bulgarian-Romanian relations within the Black Sea cooperation and the increased tourist exchange were mentioned at the meeting. A common support for the EU prospect of the Western Balkan countries was affirmed. Speaker of Parliament Dimitar Glavchev explained to his Romanian colleague the priorities of the forthcoming Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and said that our dialogue with Romania was very important on a broad range of issues from EU strategic agenda.

Among the topics of discussion at the meeting was the fight against high-level corruption. Speaker of Parliament Dimitar Glavchev said that a second reading was pending for the anti-corruption law and that the Romanian experience was very useful for us. President of the Romanian Senate Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu said that the National Directorate for Fighting Corruption was set up to prosecute high-level corruption, but at the moment there were a lot of punitive actions and prosecution of some political leaders in order to prove that the unit was working. In his words, the initial idea was very good but it was not taken into account that if power got out of control, it became a corruption body by itself. The idea of a joint meeting of the law committees of the two parliaments was also supported at the meeting.

The Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament gave his Romanian colleague a poster by artist Kamen Popov, depicting two swallows, symbolising Bulgaria and Romania’s accession to the EU in 2007.

Speaker of Parliament Dimitar Glavchev and the delegation met Deputy Chair of the Chamber of Deputies Florin Iordache. During the talks it was stated that the two countries and their parliaments would cooperate actively on all levels to tackle the issues of the two presidencies of the Council of the EU.

Today the Bulgarian MPs will meet Deputy Prime Minister Jon-Marcel Ciolacu and Victor Negrescu, delegated Minister on European Affairs. The programme of the official visit of the Speaker of Parliament to Bucharest also includes a meeting with Foreign Minister Teodor Meleșcanu.

The Speaker of Parliament and MPs will lay flowers at the monuments of Vasil Levski and Hristo Botev in Herăstrău park. Later they will talk to representatives of the Bulgarian community in Bucharest.

Members of the delegation are Vladimir Toshev, Chair of the Bulgaria-Romania Friendship Group, Filip Popov, Iskren Veselinov, Byurhan Abazov and Krustina Taskova, group members.