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The President in Berlin: Bulgaria’s EU Accession Was a Far-sighted Decision which Strengthened Security and Stability in the Balkans

Bulgaria’s EU Accession was the correct political decision with a long-term perspective. It was a far-sighted decision of strategic importance which  strengthened security and stability in the Balkans. This is what President Rosen Plevneliev said at a meeting with the members of the Bulgarian-German forum, at which he presented Bulgaria’s achievements ten years after Bulgaria’s EU Accession Agreement was signed. The Head of State emphasized that Bulgaria’s achievements in the past years are the result of “the engine of European integration”.

President Plevneliev was adamant that today Bulgaria is an uncircumventable factor of stability in the Balkans – a country through which the largest number of European transport corridors pass and which works to modernize its economy and achieves results. In the President’s words, Bulgaria’s GDP in the past ten years has doubled and the state allocated three times more funds to education, healthcare and pensions. The national debt has seen a three-fold decrease and the direct foreign investments have increased seven times.

“The bilateral relations between Germany and Bulgaria have also developed. The trade between Germany and Bulgaria has doubled in the past ten years. Today Germany is Bulgaria’s biggest trade partner and the number of German tourists has considerably increased in the past years,” the Head of State further said.

The President pointed out that European solidarity enjoys its first fruits in Bulgaria. With the help of EU funds our country launched projects on building 300-km highways, 26 subway stations, railways, roads, implementing water projects, and the first innovative eco-system in Bulgaria – Sofia Tech Park and also more than 10,000 projects in support of the SMEs. “We managed to considerably improve the capacity of the local authorities to implement European projects,” Rosen Plevneliev said.  

The Head of State was adamant that despite the difficulties we have been facing in the past two years – change of governments, bankruptcy of the fourth-ranking bank, the dreadful natural disasters, the migration flow, and well as the negative impact of the crises in Greece and Ukraine, Bulgaria has managed to preserve its stability and expects an economic growth worth almost 2 percent in 2015. “I am convinced that if we conduct bold reforms and we have a good governance, we can soon achieve a growth worth 4 percent,” the President said.

“2015 is a year of key importance since the 2007-2013 program period is to be completed. The EU funds can be successfully invested and Bulgaria’s aim is to double at least 90 percent of the funds allocated to the country,” the Head of State further said. The achieved results in the first program period are much better than those of a lot other member states,” the President pointed out. The Head of State said that 2015 is also a year in which key reforms for the country will be conducted and highlighted those in the judiciary, energy sector, education, pension system, the Security sector and others.

Before the members of the forum, Rosen Plevneliev recalled that 20 years ago the Balkan countries were divided and isolated, while today they pool efforts to ensure integration and share common prospects for development. “European regional policy is a powerful tool of democracy and it lends a hand to the civil society so that all institutions in Southeast Europe can start functioning in a more efficient and transparent manner,” the President further said. In the Head of State’s words, the citizens expect to see transparency in the work of the institutions and the implementation of reasonable projects, the opening of new border checkpoints, and connecting the energy and transport networks. “The business circles benefit from the region’s economic potential. The same holds true for the energy networks. The future does not flow through gas pipelines. It lies in ideas and innovations for which there are no limits. I support energy efficiency, diversification and liberalization. I support the creation of a European Energy Union. I see in it a new engine of integration. It is the market, not political interests that should determine the price of gas. Gas should no longer be a weapon, but a commodity,” President Plevneliev further emphasized.  

“The European Commission is planning to invest almost 50 billion euros up to 2020 in the region, by implementing European structural instruments. This means that the funds allocated to cross-border cooperation between the Southeast European countries will considerably increase,” Rosen Plevneliev pointed out. In the Head of State’s view, the Balkans will considerably improve and modernize their transport infrastructure up to 2020 “and the region will be offered new prospects from which the people will surely benefit. We are willing to prove that European regional policy functions in Southeast Europe and produces visible results. It is important to us to see that opportunities are provided not only to the richest, but also to the poorest regions,” President Rosen Plevneliev highlighted.

Today in Berlin the Bulgarian President, together with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of the French Republic (2007-2012) Nicola Sarkozy, will take part in a forum of the German family business, which is one of the most representative meetings of entrepreneurs in the Federal Republic of Germany. Owners of more than 400 of the big family companies in the country are expected to attend the forum. 91 percent of the German companies are part of the so-called “family business” and 46 percent of the sales volume in Germany is the result of their work. President Rosen Plevneliev will make a statement on the topic: “Bulgaria and Southeast Europe: economic and geopolitical challenges and prospects.”