NEWS

Bulgaria and the Czech Republic Will Pool Efforts to Reform the European Policy in the Sphere of Migration

“Bulgaria and the Czech Republic share a lot of positions on key issues within the European Union and the necessity to reform the European policy in the sphere of migration is one of them.” This is what President Rumen Radev said, who held talks with Radek Vondracek, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech parliament, at 2 Dondukov street today. Rumen Radev emphasized that the trust and friendship between the two countries is the result of the strong historical and cultural ties between Bulgarians and Czechs.

“The open-door policy on the migrants heading towards Europe destroys the unity in the European Union. It deprives the countries the migrants come from of prospects for development and a better future,” the Head of State said and called for taking preventive measures at the local level before the migrants reach Europe’s coasts and borders.

Rumen Radev and Radek Vondracek voiced their support for restoring the traditions in the dynamic exchange of tourists between the two countries. The President expressed Bulgaria’s willingness to follow the Czech Republic’s good practices in industrialization and also to strengthen mutual investments.

The Head of State extended his gratitude to Radek Vondracek for the consistent support on some positions of key importance for Bulgaria such as the Directive on posting workers, fighting the double standard in food and preserving the Cohesion policy in the EU. The President also highlighted the good cooperation between Bulgaria and the Visegrad group on a lot of topics on the EU agenda.

The prospects for adopting the common EU currency by Bulgaria and the Czech Republic were also discussed at the meeting. Rumen Radev and Radek Vondracek were unanimous that the debate on the adoption of the euro should be accompanied by an in-depth risk analysis and an assessment of the benefits for the countries planning to take this step.

“Bulgaria and the Czech Republic are close partners that share a lot of common positions and therefore our mutual support is important,” Radek Vondracek said at the meeting and highlighted the Czech Republic’s interest in strengthening the economic relations between the two countries. Radek Vondracek voiced the Czech Republic’s support for Bulgaria’s stance on the cohesion policy as vital for the development of the EU countries.