NEWS

Bulgaria has fulfilled all the criteria and should join the Schengen zone in autumn 2012, according to presidents Rosen Plevneliev and Vaclav Klaus

Bulgaria has fulfilled all the criteria and should join the Schengen zone in autumn this year, and compliance with the rules is a guarantee of equal partnership in the European Union. This is the position jointly backed today by the Presidents of Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.

At the invitation of Bulgarian Head of State Rosen Plevneliev, Czech President Vaclav Klaus is a one-day working visit to Bulgaria. The Presidents of Bulgaria and the Czech Republic held tête-à-tête talks and led plenary talks between official delegations of both countries.

The two presidents discussed the interest of the new member states in preserving the potential of the Cohesion Policy. Both presidents believe that Cohesion Policy is not simply a means of reallocating resources within the Union, but a tool for sustainable development of the EU. President Plevneliev said that there was a need to retain both the current size of the Cohesion Fund and the funds under the Common Agricultural Policy.

Trade and economic relations were also the focus of talks between the delegations of the two countries. There is a positive trend in bilateral trade, which last year exceeded a billion leva, and both countries are interested in further increasing mutual investments. In the past 15 years, Czech investments in Bulgaria exceeded two billion leva.

"The Czech Republic has achieved a lot in energy efficiency, a low-carbon economy and in the management of water resources - these are the sectors to which Bulgaria is now paying attention, and we welcome the Czech investments and exchange of experience," President Plevneliev said.

The Bulgarian Head of State accepted the invitation of his Czech counterpart to visit Prague in the autumn of this year when, under the patronage of the two presidents, an exhibition of Thracian gold treasures will open at the Hradcany Palace in the Czech capital. There was special emphasis on the role of cultural co-operation between the two countries and the development of mutual tourism.

During his visit, the Czech head of state will meet Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and the President of the National Assembly, Tsetska Tsacheva.

Later in the day Vaclav Klaus will present his books, European Integration Without illusions, and Where Tomorrow Begins.