The European Union will benefit if as many member states as possible adopt the euro, said Speaker of Parliament Tsveta Karayancheva at the Inter-Parliamentary Conference for Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the EU, held in Brussels. Tsveta Karayancheva and EP President Antonio Tajani opened and co-chaired the plenary session on Strengthening Sustainability and Stabilisation of the Economic and Monetary Union. The conference is the third event from the Calendar of the Parliamentary Dimension of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the first one in the European Parliament.

What unites us today are the joint efforts of the parliaments in the EU to contribute to the financial stability and sustainable growth of the Union’s economy, said the Speaker of Parliament. I am confident that none of you is thinking about Europe at many speeds or shutting off some member states in formats that are very restrictive for the rest, added Tsveta Karayancheva.

The Speaker of Parliament pushed for unity and cohesion and said that it was not accidental that Bulgaria chose for a slogan of the Presidency the words inscribed on the building of the Bulgarian Parliament: United we Stand Strong!

One of the priorities of the European Union in general, and also a top one for the Bulgarian Presidency is to reduce economic and social differences between and within member states, said the Speaker of Parliament and urged that the Cohesion policy should keep its place in the total budget of the EU even after 2020.

The debate on the future of the EU is at the top of the agenda of the Bulgarian Presidency; an important role of this debate is assigned to the issues of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, deepening integration in the Eurozone and the strategic vision for the economic governance of the EU, said Tsveta Karayancheva.

During the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU Bulgaria is and will continue working for the further integration of the Economic and Monetary Union, emphasised the Speaker of Parliament. This process goes hand in hand with the implementation of democratic accountability of the institutions of the Eurozone before the members of the European Parliament, legitimately elected by the national parliaments, added Tsveta Karayancheva. She said that among the key issues for the institutions and the citizens is the future of the EU finances after the UK leaves the Union in 2019. Tsveta Karayancheva praised the efforts of the Bulgarian Presidency and the member states to achieve progress in mitigating risks in the banking sector.

At the opening of the event, EP President Antonio Tajani emphasised that national parliaments played a key role for bringing the EU policy closer to the citizens. We have to find a way to strengthen trust in the EU and its institutions, we have to present a vision for the future of Europe and start action in the name of prosperity for all European citizens, he said.

Antonio Tajani emphasised that the EP would continue to firmly uphold its role and fulfil its responsibilities of a proper co-legislator. We are responsible before the European citizens to follow the work of the European Commission, he added and said that parliaments were the link between citizens and the executive power. This year we are holding the seventh European Parliamentary Week, which is the largest inter-parliamentary event, said the EP President. Its goal is to make national parliaments more involved in policy making.