NEWS

Europe must make efforts to prevent us from turning from a continent of inventors into a continent of regulators, says the head of state, who is visiting Estonia to participate in the annual meeting of the presidents of the Arraiolos Group.

 

The most important task facing the EU is finding a peaceful solution to the war on our continent as a prerequisite for establishing lasting peace, security and prosperity. This was stated by President Rumen Radev before the annual meeting of the presidents of the Arraiolos group in Tallinn, Estonia. The head of state is visiting the Estonian capital at the invitation of his counterpart Alar Karis for participation in the forum, which was attended by the heads of state of Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia.

 

The head of state stressed that it is the European Union that must play a leading role in achieving a peaceful solution in Ukraine, as the future of Europe is becoming hostage to war. The President also pointed out that it must be achieved through diplomacy, based on the principles of international law and with clear security guarantees.

 

Speaking to journalists, the president pointed out that this year's meeting of the Arraiolos Group is taking place against the backdrop of acute challenges facing the EU related to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, political instability, and economic and social upheavals. Overcoming all these challenges requires not only systematic and coordinated efforts, but above all common sense and flexibility, Radev emphasised.

 

The head of state welcomed the agreement on the first phase of President Trump's peace plan to end the war in Gaza. This is the first, but extremely important step towards peace, Rumen Radev pointed out and highlighted the opportunity for Europe to play a key role in the full implementation of this plan. We remain firmly convinced of the implementation of the two-state solution as the only sustainable path to a lasting solution to the conflict and to the restoration of a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East region, the head of state emphasised.

 

The intensified competition between global powers for technological leadership requires Europe to place a serious emphasis on innovation, technology and scientific research, Radev also pointed out, highlighting the other main topic in the focus of the talks at this year's meeting of the Arraiolos Group . According to the head of state, lagging behind in this area directly affects not only the competitiveness of the EU, but also the quality of life and security of the continent. We must make efforts to avoid turning from a continent of inventors into a continent of regulators, the president concluded.

 

The head of state expressed his belief that artificial intelligence, at least in the medium term, will not rule the world, but the countries that understand and master it will have increasing weight on the international stage. Europe is at a crossroads – to continue to follow or to start leading in the development of technologies and artificial intelligence, Rumen Radev pointed out.

 

The President also highlighted Bulgaria's potential and our country's efforts not to lag behind in this area. We have every opportunity to move forward in the development of artificial intelligence, innovation and technology, and our ambition is for Bulgaria to be a regional innovation hub and a connecting technological core of Europe with our region, Rumen Radev pointed out.

 

Arraiolos Group was founded in 2003 at the initiative of the then President of the Portuguese Republic, Jorge Sampaio as an informal forum for political dialogue at the highest level of the Presidents of the European Union. Today, the Arraiolos Group includes 15 presidents of EU member states – Portugal, Germany, Latvia, Finland, Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia, Malta, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland and Croatia.

The two were unanimous that restoring peace in Europe through diplomacy is a priority for the EU and the only way to ensure the long-term security and stability of the Old Continent.

The President recalls that the institution of the Special Commercial Administrator (SCA) was introduced by an Act adopted in 2023, which also established a number of safeguards against potential abuse and arbitrariness — safeguards of the kind already adopted in other European states faced with similar circumstances, with the objective of minimising the risk of subsequent financial claims against the State

Bulgaria stands in solidarity with Lebanon's efforts to support peace, security and stabilisation of the Middle East, which are also of utmost importance to the EU, Radev says after a meeting in Sofia with his Lebanese counterpart

The head of state awardS the Presidential Badge of Honour to the then British Ambassador to Libya