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Rumen Radev: EU Diplomacy Must Effectively Help Resolve Conflicts Close to its Borders

Ensuring the rule of law and separation of powers is the foundation of democracy, Head of State stressed at a meeting with Ambassadors of EU member states

EU diplomacy must be much more active in areas of conflicts close to its borders and help resolve them. This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said today at a meeting with the heads of the diplomatic missions of the EU member states accredited in Bulgaria. During the meeting, the diplomats raised a number of issues related to this country's agenda within the framework of the priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as the consequences of the Russia’s war on Ukraine and the State of Israel's actions against Hamas.

The Head of State defined the military actions in the vicinity of Europe as a key challenge to the security and stability of the EU, including through the secondary effects they have on the economy and the social sphere. The development of a stable and prosperous European Union against the backdrop of wars in close proximity to our borders is very difficult to achieve, Rumen Radev stressed. That is why, in the President's words, European diplomacy should play a much more leading role in seeking pragmatic solutions to stop the fighting and restore peace. The EU taking such an active stance also corresponds to the ambition for strategic autonomy and a more significant role of the Union in international relations.

Responding to a question about the increase of interoperability between the armed forces of the European countries and their modernisation, Rumen Radev pointed out that this is not achieved in the midst of a crisis, but starts with the development and implementation of defence products. The President reminded of the active policy and contribution of this country to uniting the efforts of individual countries in research and production of defence technologies within the EU and NATO. This policy has resulted in the NATO Innovation Fund as well as the DIANA Defence Innovation Accelerator. Industrial cooperation and technology transfer should become an integral part of any purchase of defence equipment by EU countries, Rumen Radev noted.

The farmers' protests across Europe signal the existence of a real problem and require specific actions by the European institutions, the President said. The Head of State added that building a green economy should take into account the social and economic aspects of this process and not lead to a permanent loss of competitiveness of European economies. The EU is clearly a leader in the green transition worldwide, but the much lower price of energy resources in other countries gives them a significant competitive advantage, leading to negative economic and social consequences for Europe, Rumen Radev said.

Ensuring the rule of law and the separation of powers is at the heart of democracy and this is the responsibility of all institutions, the Head of State further stressed. The President highlighted the achievements of the caretaker governments in Bulgaria in drafting the necessary laws for the abolition of the Cooperation and Evaluation Mechanism for this country, as well as the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Head of State also stressed that the restoration by law of the powers of the Prosecutor General and the plenum of the Supreme Judicial Council, previously deleted in the Constitution by the MPs, raises questions about the course of the justice reform and the supremacy of the Constitution. The Bulgarian society is waiting for concrete answers from the relevant institutions and for the existence of brokers between high-ranking politicians and magistrates and throwing light on the processes in the justice system, without which it is impossible to uphold the rule of law, the President further stressed in response to a question.