NEWS

Presidents Plevneliev and Mattarella: the Only Correct Response to the Contemporary Challenges is the Common European Response

The only correct response to the contemporary challenges is the common European response – for ensuring more integration, more cooperation, more diplomacy, for ensuring the rule of law and observing rules in Europe. This was the position shared by President Rosen Plevneliev and the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella at a joint news conference they gave at 2 Dondukov street. The two leaders held talks within the first official visit of an Italian president to Bulgaria for the past 11 years.

The migration crisis, the prospects the EU is facing after the Brexit referendum, issues in the sphere of security and fighting terrorism, the cooperation within NATO, and also the opportunities for strengthening the trade cooperation and the bilateral cultural, educational and tourist exchange, were among the highlights at the talks.

The Presidents of Bulgaria and Italy discussed a lot of issues on the European and world agenda and were unanimous that the dynamics and scale of events in the past months and the plethora of challenges need a prompt and common reaction.

“We are together in the fight against terrorism. The bloody terror acts in the heart of Europe showed that nobody is insured against terrorism. We are adamant that the people in Europe should not give in to fear and should defend their values and way of life,” President Rosen Plevneliev said. The Head of State added that under the conditions of the challenges our countries are facing, currently it is vitally important to cooperate in the sphere of defense and security, particularly within NATO.

Presidents Rosen Plevneliev and Sergio Mattarella welcome any initiative for strengthening the basis of the EU. The Bulgarian Head of State voiced gratitude for Italy’s consistent support for Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area.   

As for the migration crisis, the two Presidents were adamant that the refugee wave does not affect only individual countries, but the whole EU. “We should focus on the problem. Not only should control be exerted along the external EU borders, but also efforts should be pooled to seek a sustainable and efficient solution to the problems in the Middle-East and North African countries,” President Rosen Plevneliev said and reiterated his call for adopting a proactive and adamant approach when addressing the causes for the problems, not their consequences.  

The common prospects of the Western Balkan countries for becoming EU member states were also highlighted at the talks. Bulgaria and Italy support the process of speeding up the Euro-integration processes in these countries, if they meet the criteria for EU membership. “Bulgaria has always said that the Bulgarian support for launching the negotiations for the Republic of Macedonia’s joining the EU depends on signing a good-neighborliness agreement, which is based on the already adopted good-neighborliness Declaration in 1999,” the Head of State said.

President Rosen Plevneliev highlighted energy dependence as Southeast Europe’s greatest weakness. “Connectivity is the key to energy security, energy independence and a common European policy. The implementation of the South Gas Corridor is a strategic priority, together with the inter-systemic connections with Bulgaria’s neighboring countries and this is the only opportunity Southeast Europe has in a short-term perspective to improve its energy security,” the Head of State emphasized. Bulgaria attaches particular importance to the bilateral cooperation with Italy in the energy sector, given the role Italy plays for implementing the strategic project South Gas Corridor and for building the Greece-Bulgaria gas inter-connector. Italian shareholders take part in the implementation of the inter-connector with Greece.

In a regional plan, the implementation of a number of infrastructure projects has a priority importance for the two countries and the economic potential of the trans-European Transport Corridor 8 was highlighted. Bulgaria has speeded up its work on building the stages of Corridor 8 on its territory and has the ambition to complete them by 2020, President Plevneliev further said. The Head of State highlighted Italy as Bulgaria’s key trade partner. A record trade worth 4,2 billion euros and growth worth 8,5 percent were achieved in 2015. Italy is the second biggest market for Bulgarian goods after Germany and the Italian investments in Bulgaria have reached an amount worth 1,5 billion euros since 1996.    

President Rosen Plevneliev also discussed with his Italian counterpart the issue of finding a building for the Bulgarian cultural institute in Rome. “In 2019 Plovdiv and Matera will be the European capitals of culture and we voice hope that the problem will be promptly resolved,” the Head of State said.

“We are connected via our common EU and NATO membership and we share a common vision about what the EU should fulfill and develop,” Italian President Sergio Mattarella summarized, for his part. After the Brexit referendum, the importance of the EU enlargement with the Western Balkan countries should be stressed more strongly, the Italian Head of State said. Sergio Mattarella was adamant that the process of EU enlargement should continue. “This is the only way we could enhance the cooperation and our commitment in our common fight for peace,” President Mattarella said.  

Italy also supports the initiatives for accelerating the integration processes in the EU, including the sphere of energy related to the diversification of the sources of energy resources. “The migration crisis, the terrorist threats and the economic and financial security require reaffirming our common commitment within the EU. These issues cannot be addressed by each country on its own,” the Italian president emphasized and called for finding “a coordinated, shared, united and systematic” European solution.