The European Union will remain united and will follow a common approach in the Brexit talks. This is what President Rumen Radev told journalists in Brussels. The Bulgarian Head of State is representing our country in the European Council meeting, where the political guidelines for conducting the negotiations on the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU were adopted. President Radev called on for guaranteeing, within the talks, the preservation of the rights of 4,5 million European citizens who live and work in Great Britain, and also of the Britons in the EU.
“?his will not be an easy process. We are yet to face a lot of difficulties. However, the important thing is that all EU leaders agreed on the shared EU goals: protecting the rights of the citizens, the businesses, the individual member-states and the EU as a whole,” Rumen Radev said. The Head of State emphasized that the EU and Great Britain should reach consent on the United Kingdom’s financial commitments and also on the border and customs procedures.
A directive laying down the criteria and the stages of the talks will be adopted on 22 May 2017, it emerged from the President’s words. “Hopefully, the first stage of the talks will be completed in October. Bulgaria will take on the commitment, within the country’s Presidency of the EU Council, to decide the second stage of the negotiations. The talks are to be completed by October 2018 by drafting an agreement, so that there would be time for the process of ratification to take place, and the UK's withdrawal will become a fact by March 2019,” Rumen Radev said.
In reply to a journalist’s question whether Brexit will increase the financial burden on our country, the President emphasized that this part of the talks will be the most complicated one. Rumen Radev added that he expects this to be the most serious issue and voiced hope that both the United Kingdom and the EU will regard the issue in the same way. “Currently I cannot tell how this will affect Bulgaria. It all depends on whether Great Britain will honour its commitments, which within the Financial Framework 2014-2020 and after 2020 are huge,” the Head of State said and added that the UK's economy contributes a large portion of the EU's budget.
During his visit to Brussels, President Radev also discussed the situation in Southeastern Europe and the political crisis in the Republic of Macedonia with European Council President Donald Tusk and with Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
“I have been assured that the question of Macedonia will be considered very seriously and support will be provided to resume the dialogue between the political parties and institutions,” the Head of State said. “This is currently most important so that the security in the region is ensured,” Rumen Radev added and emphasized that the future of the Western Balkan countries will be in the focus of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of Europe during the first half of 2018.