NEWS

Head of State Rumen Radev: Unless there is a Real Economy and Social Convergence We Risk Deepening Divisions in Europe

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen confirmed his support for Bulgaria’s Schengen and OECD accession

Bulgaria and Austria share common priorities on the EU agenda, which will be upheld during the two countries' consectutive presidencies of the EU Council. This was the common position of Presidents Rumen Radev and Van der Bellen, who held a meeting in Sofia today. President Van der Bellen is on an official visit to our country at the invitation of the Bulgarian Head of State. This is the third meeting between the Heads of State of Bulgaria and Austria in the past seven months.

The two highlighted the Western Balkans’ European prospects, migration policy and the cooperation in the Danube region as topics of key importance for strengthening stability and promoting economic growth in Central and Eastern Europe. Austria highly appreciates Bulgaria’s achievements in protecting the external EU borders and supports our country’s Schengen accession, Alexander Van der Bellen said. The two Presidents were unanimous that the European migration policy needs a change which will create more opportunities for economic development and social integration in the countries of the migrants’ origin and curb the migration pressure on Europe.

The common policy of security and defense, the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defense Fund were highlighted as new efficient measures designed to strengthen the citizens’ security and promote Bulgaria’s EU integration. President Radev also called for fully using the potential of the smaller EU member states to build a common defense industry.  

“However, without cohesion, without real convergence, we risk deepening divisions within Europe. This is unacceptable, because in such a situation defense and security would lose their meaning. Therefore Bulgaria has adopted the stance that the last thing that can be reduced are the cohesion funds,” Rumen Radev further emphasized. The President added that the European funds have a deep meaning if they are really spent in the right way. And if conditions are ensured whereby the European funds are bound with adhering to the principles of the rule-of-law state, criteria should also be implemented for the objectivity of assessment. Austria supports Bulgaria’s OECD accession, President Alexander Van der Bellen said.

The cooperation of the countries from the Danube region should be supported by real funding and creating the necessary mechanisms for implementing joint projects, the two Heads of State called on for. In Rumen Radev’s words, the EU should strengthen its support for the more poorly developed European regions on Bulgaria’s territory, namely the Danube river region. “Our national priority is to seek mechanisms for their development,” the Bulgarian President added. The two shared the common position that the implementation of the EU Danube strategy is a common priority for all EU member states from the Danube river region.

Without strengthening the European prospects of all Western Balkan countries, we cannot imagine boosting the stability in Europe, it emerged at the meeting. The EU should continue to support the reforms these countries conduct, taking into account the individual achievements in meeting the membership criteria. The Austrian President highly appreciated Bulgaria’s constructive position vis-à-vis the Southeast European region and in particular the progress achieved in the bilateral relations between our country and the Republic of Macedonia. Signing the bilateral Agreement on Friendship, Good-neighborly relations and Cooperation between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia sets a positive example for the whole region.

“Bulgaria is in the avant-garde of the common European policy regarding Russia. My visit to Russia in the second half of May, President Macron’s visit at approximately the same time, and the Russian President’s visit in Vienna at the beginning of June, show that we really pursue a unified European policy vis-à-vis Russia and we seek all opportunities to maintain an open dialogue and implement projects of mutual interest,” the Head of State said at the joint news conference. “We should not only continue the diplomacy of visits, but we should also continue our dialogue with Russia. Our position is very close to Bulgaria’s. President Radev will visit Moscow this year and President Putin will most probably be in Vienna at the beginning of June,” Alexander Van der Bellen said.

Later the two Heads of State will welcome the participants in the Bulgarian-Austrian business forum. Rumen Radev and Alexander Van der Bellen highlighted the positive trend towards expanding the bilateral partnership in the sphere of investments and trade. President Radev voiced his country’s readiness to continue promoting the economic exchange with Austria and noted the country’s contribution to implementing the model of dual education in Bulgaria.

The official welcoming ceremony of the Austrian President took place at the St. Alexander Nevski square, after which the two Heads of State held a private meeting at 2 Dondukov street and led the plenary talks of Bulgaria’s and Austria’s official delegations. Tomorrow Rumen Radev and Alexander Van der Bellen will take part in the informal meeting of the Presidents of Bulgaria, Romania and Austria in the town of Ruse.