Ambassador Allen took part in the sitting of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds (CEAOEF), where the main topics were:
- The initiative of the British Government to review the balance of competences between the EU and the UK;
- Lifting the restrictions for Bulgarian citizens applied by the UK;
- The Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 and the future of the EU.
The Chairperson of CEAOEF – Ms. Monika Panayotova – and the Committee Members Ms. Silvia Hubenova, Mr. Vladimir Toshev and Mr. Dimcho Mihalevski also participated in the discussion.
Regarding the initiative undertaken by the British Government, which analyzes how the EU politics and legislation influence the UK citizens, Mr. Allen pointed out that the purpose is to answer the following key questions: preserving the integrity of the EU; distributing legitimacy, accountancy and responsibility within the Union and finding the right balance of competences between the EU and its Member States?
The CEAOEF Chair commented that the free movement of Bulgarian workers contributes to the increase of EU’s GDP as a whole. Furthermore, it is a prerequisite for untapping the Single Market’s full potential. In response, Mr. Allen assured the MPs that there is no change in UK position regarding the free movement of people in the European Union. In this context, all speculations in the media have been groundless because the derogation of the UK has its exact date – January 1, 2013.
Bulgarian MPs expressed their concerns regarding the British MEP Godfrey Bloom’s harsh statement that the opening of the UK market for Bulgarian and Romanian citizens would unleash an unseen crime wave. “We do not consider the Bulgarian and Romanian citizens as people who commit crimes in our country” Ambassador Allen replied.
Regarding the financial stability of Bulgaria and the EU, Jonathan Allen remarked that Bulgaria is on the right track, taking into consideration the EU funds absorption, the infrastructure building, the labor force quality and the country’s geopolitical position. “We would like to see EU following Bulgaria’s example. Unfortunately, Bulgaria is still the poorest Member State; however it shows excellent macroeconomic stability and enviable level of debt – only 16%” Ambassador Allen stated.
On the MFF 2014-2020, Mr. Allen presented UK’s position and commented that, taking into account the national budgets’ freezing and reduction, the offered 5-7% increase of the EU budget sounds unjustified at the moment. The EU budget should be aimed at growth. The questions that define UK’s position are: how much money, where, how and what the effect is going to be.
Mr. Dimcho Mihalevski described the EU budget as a tool of European solidarity which would benefit mainly the big companies in long-term perspective.
In conclusion, Ms. Monika Panayotova observed that it is necessary to reach a political agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework despite all the reservations. Otherwise, it will slow down the entire process of programming. The European funds should be used for achieving common goals, notwithstanding the countries’ donor or beneficiary status.