President Rosen Plevneliev and Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt debated in Copenhagen the preparation of the EU summit to be held on 22 May, the opportunities for the European economy to restore economic growth and for strengthening the partnership between Bulgaria and Denmark in the spheres of energy, social policy and high technologies.
In joint statements made after the meeting, President Plevneliev and Prime Minister Thorning-Schmidt described as intensive the political dialogue between the two countries. “We also see prospects for rewarding this potential, particularly in the sphere of energy policy and strategy and energy diversification,” Rosen Plevneliev said. EU energy policy will be the basic topic to be debated at the meeting of the European Council in Brussels due in May. “Bulgaria will have to follow its way to energy diversification at all levels – the national and the regional one and in the industries and we have come to learn from the experience of the best performing countries,” the head of state said. He added that our country was willing to draw on Denmark’s experience in the sectors of agriculture, food production, information and communication technologies, as well as in tourism.
“We believe that we have yet a lot to offer, particularly in the energy sector,” Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said, for his part. According to Rosen Plevneliev, the formation of a Single European Energy Market will open up new prospects for the EU economy and that of Bulgaria in particular. As for the requirements of the Third Energy Liberalization Package, the head of state said that Bulgaria would do its best to draft the necessary documents by the end of this year “so as to display yet again a responsible attitude to the end consumers.” Danish experts may work together with Bulgarian specialists on the implementation of Bulgaria 2020 strategy in the section on energy efficiency and diversification, the head of state further added. He said that the measures that Bulgaria takes to diversify the energy resources enjoy the support of Denmark.
Regarding the economic situation in Europe, President Rosen Plevneliev and Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt shared the opinion that the course followed should not be altered and the envisaged measures should be implemented and that the measures aimed at curbing unemployment, particularly among the young people, require special efforts.
Rosen Plevneliev and Helle Thorning-Schmidt also debated the process of EU enlargement, focusing on the countries from the Western Balkans. “We agreed that the enlargement process is a key engine of the friendly relations with the neighboring countries of the EU and of the democracy in the European Union itself,” the Prime Minister of Denmark summarized. “Denmark has always understood and supported Bulgaria and the countries in the region and their agenda regarding the European and Euro-Atlantic integration, and it was during Denmark’s EU presidency that Bulgaria was fixed the date to join the EU,” President Plevneliev in turn recalled. The Kingdom of Denmark supported Bulgaria also in its attempts to join the Schengen area and we are grateful for that support, the head of state added.
On the first day of his official visit in Denmark, President Rosen Plevneliev will meet Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark. The President will visit the central office of Rockwool International, the second biggest producer of insulation in the world, as well as a family house with a low consumption of energy. Later on the head of state will open the “Golden gifts from Sveshtari” exhibition at the National Museum of Denmark.