he Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of European Funds presented the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU to the Swedish Parliamentary Committee on European Union Affairs.

We are very pleased to welcome you during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, said Deputy Chair of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of European Funds Ivelina Vasileva, who welcomed a delegation of the Swedish Parliamentary Committee on European Union Affairs to the National Assembly. She presented to the delegation the main priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency, among which were economic growth, the future of young people, the European prospect for the Western Balkan countries, and the cohesion policy.

Ivelina Vasileva presented the good financial and economic indicators of the country and the measures to counter corruption and the grey economy, mentioning the adoption of the Act on Countering Corruption and Forfeiture of Illegally Acquired Assets. She said that an important priority of the governance programme was the support for education. Migration issues and human rights protection were also discussed.

Among the topics at the meeting was climate change, which is a global concern, and flood management. Ivelina Vasileva said that Bulgaria was implementing Plans for Water Basins Management and Plans for Flood Risk Management. She added that coordinated measures are implemented to prevent flood risk, which are responsibility of the competent institutions, the local authorities and all stakeholders.

Ivan Ivanov from the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds emphasised that Bulgaria had fulfilled all criteria to enter Schengen, and that Sweden’s support was very important.

Polina Tsankova-Hristova and Peter Petrov presented to their Swedish counterparts the work of the committee.