The European Commission is expected to propose at least 20 new initiatives during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, said Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU Lilyana Pavlova before MPs from the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds. At the last meeting for the year MPs from the committee attended the hearing of Minister Lilyana Pavlova on the finalisation of the Bulgarian EU Presidency preparation.

The report on the implementation of the Bulgarian EU Presidency preparation plan contains 57 measures, and they all have been implemented, said the Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Minister Lilyana Pavlova informed the MPs about the final calendar of events during the presidency, adopted by the government. It includes almost 300 events in Sofia, among which one summit, 32 ministerial meetings and conferences, etc.

Around 1,500 experts from the ministries have undergone the necessary trainings, and 177 volunteers have been approved to facilitate the success of the Bulgarian Presidency, said the Minister.

Chair of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds Kristian Vigenin said that the information gave a reason to the MPs to rest assured about the start of the presidency. We are happy with the complex work done by the government and the Ministry for the Bulgarian Presidency in the past months, he said. As of today, Bulgaria is both politically and technically prepared, he added.

Deputy Chair of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds Ivelina Vasileva asked about how many dossiers were expected to be closed and Lilyana Pavlova answered she hoped that at least 30-40 dossiers would be closed during the Bulgarian EU Presidency. There are some challenging issues, among which migration, energy, economy, etc., with large numbers of dossiers and it is difficult to predict how many will be closed while Bulgaria is presiding over the Union, she added.