With the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU of the first half of 2016 taking up its duties, EUROPE is publishing a dossier detailing the political priorities of the Bulgarian government. These priorities, and in particular the special emphasis on the Western Balkans, are outlined by the Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Lilyana Pavlova. Finally, the dossier includes a calendar of the main institutional events to be held in Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg and Sofia. (Original dossier in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)
Ten years after it joined the European Union, Bulgaria took up the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January, for a period of six months. This is a first for this Balkan country of 7 million inhabitants, an EU member since 2007, which has still to join the Schengen area of free movement of people and the Eurozone.
In common with many previous Presidencies, Sofia is focusing on the unity of the EU, under the following slogan: ‘United, we stand strong’. This motto is also inscribed on the pediment of the Bulgarian National Assembly. “The motto holds true not only for Bulgaria, this is our intention for all of the EU. The unity of the EU and its member states can only make us stronger”, explained the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boïko Borissov.
Through its three priority areas – consensus, competitiveness and cohesion – Bulgaria intends to promote a “strong, digital and united Europe”, according to the Presidency programme, which also stresses the principle of solidarity.
The Deputy Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018, Monika Panayotova, points out that consensus, competitiveness and cohesion “are frequently taken for granted”. “But they’re like oxygen: you don’t notice until it’s gone”, she said.
Sofia is calling for a safe Europe, because the migration crisis and terrorist acts in recent years have shown us how vulnerable we are; a stable Europe, because citizens want to know that the EU is safeguarding their prosperity and well-being, and a Europe of solidarity, because the main challenges affect all member states can be tackled only through common actions, not at national or regional level.
The Bulgarian Presidency is developing these concepts around four priorities: the future of Europe and the young people (1), security and stability (2), the digital economy and skills needed for the future (3), and the Western Balkans (4).
Inevitably, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, which is currently being negotiated and is scheduled to take place in spring 2019, will provide the Bulgarian Presidency with its backdrop.
The significance of the Western Balkans for the security and stability of the European Union - and therefore in reaffirming the European perspective of the countries of the region - is a vital priority of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU for the first six months of 2018, the Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council, Lilyana Pavlova, told EUROPE. The first EU/Balkans summit for 15 years, to be held in Sofia on 17 May, will involve the highest political level. (Interview by Camille-Cerise Gessant)
Agence Europe - Why did you choose the motto “United, we stay strong”? How will you manage to get the member states more united?
Lilyana Pavlova: This is the Bulgarian motto, that of our National Assembly. We hope to convey this message to all our European partners at a time when the EU needs it. We have analysed the problems and the main challenges Europeans face - which are more unity, more stability, more security, more solidarity - in order to have our family stabilised.
We feel that we can achieve this special touch of the presidency with this motto. It is a sign that Bulgaria believes in Europe, in the European project.
This is an important message for us to give to the Western Balkans countries, which have been on the backburner for many reasons in the past years. The Western Balkans are back high on the agenda of Europe.
Is that why the Western Balkans is one of your presidency priorities?
The Bulgarian presidency should not be Bulgaria itself but a kind of ‘Balkans presidency’ and we shall be very active and pro-active. This is the Bulgarian touch for the presidency and something to be added to EU agenda.
The first reaction to discussions were: ‘Be careful how you formulate and justify the topic; it is a sensitive area’. But after all the efforts that were introduced, it is now high on the agenda. This is something which will not end with the Bulgarian presidency, but we expect and have the commitment of the leaders that it will be part of the agenda. We will have a follow-up during the Austrian and Romanian presidencies. This is not a short-term exercise, but something to be really presented in a long-term perspective.
Why is it so important for the EU to have the Western Balkans linked to it? On which aspects in particular do you intend to work during your presidency?
We are all worried about issues like security, migration, defence. And it is very clear that if we don’t have peace and stability in the Balkans, then we are in danger and this is a risk for all Europe. We are not promising immediate accession to the EU. There is still a lot to be done. But we were in their shoes 20 years ago, so we are the ones to show lessons learned, to support them in the process of integration. We need to give them a sincere analysis of where they are, what still needs to be done, and what is the prospective in the short and the long terms.
The other part of the priority is more pragmatic with the six dimensions of the connectivity: road, rails, air, energy, digital and education. It is important for the Western Balkans to become a more integrated part of Europe. On each dimension, we hope to support them in identifying the key strategic projects which can be supported. They cannot be covered fully by the neighbourhood policy and the next multiannual framework (MFF). That’s why we would like to involve the international financial institutions in that process as well.
You were talking about more security, more stability, more unity as important aspects of the EU. What are your priorities in terms of the stability and security of the EU?
We have the defence union on the one hand, and we have the Dublin regulation on the other, where we are looking for a compromise decision on the reform of the asylum system. We have fair and efficient justice, where we hope to launch the European prosecutor office. And all the dossiers on the agenda regarding security matters are other priorities.
On the Dublin reform, what do you expect during your presidency?
It is a complicated and challenging topic. We can’t forecast weather it will succeed during the six months of the presidency. But we are ready to mediate whenever possible in at least trying to find a compromise.
But we have shown an example of a very good way we can provide secure and efficient control of our external border, investing a lot in human and financial resources, even if we are not a full member of the Schengen area and one of the less developed regions. So, this is an example of solidarity. And we are not in favour of building walls between the countries within EU.
You are not part of the Schengen area, but in the next months the EU will discuss the reform of the area of free movement of persons. What is your position on it?
Our national position is as follows: all the countries, whether or not they are part of Schengen, should be equally involved in the reform discussions and we are ready to share our experience, our lessons learned and how it should be done. We need stronger and more efficient external borders controls because we already have a lot of people inside the EU who need to be relocated and integrated.
On the other hand, we don’t just need to work and to meet the crisis we are facing, but we must also go to the countries of origin, where we have to invest in an efficient way to support the countries to overcome the situation.
Your presidency also plans to focus on young people...
The second priority of the presidency is the debate on the future of Europe and young people. This is socio-economic development, which we sub-divide into several smaller thematic priorities. This is to launch the specific debate on the framework of the next MFF in addition to having a particular focus on the debate on the reform and the simplification of the cohesion policy and more European added value in the investments of this policy. Then the other direction is the CAP, which should also be reformed.
Why did you also choose to prioritise the digital economy?
We do have the deadline of the end of 2018 to have the Digital single market fully operational. There is a very ambitious agenda, proposed by ‘our’ Commissioner (Mariya Gabriel, NDLR) and by Vice-President Ansip, which we are keen to work very hard on. Here, our focus is on cyber-security, e-privacy, copyrights, and then the BEREC, the body of the regulators, and e-communications.
Digital single market goes together with digital skills, including not only in higher education and secondary education but in education training as well.
About Brexit. Do you think that the negotiations will have an impact on your presidency?
The very important thing is not to allow Brexit to become a topic which overshadows the presidency agenda, at any point in our presidency. We hope to focus on the programme of the presidency and, at the same time, we have to preserve the unity of the 27 at any given moment. This is the best and only way to protect the rights and the interests of the citizens. (…) We have to preserve the unity of the 27 to the last, because ‘united we are stronger’.
The Bulgarian Presidency puts economic growth and social cohesion on an equal footing. Sofia believes that the EU’s future lies in continuing efforts in the field of social cohesion, which creates the conditions for unity and solidarity.
Priority for young people
“All of our actions will be focused on the young people”, the Presidency states. It believes young people are central to the debate on the future of Europe which will, amongst other things, take the form of the public consultations called for by France, in the run-up to the European elections of 2019 (see EUROPE 11927). The Bulgarian authorities will therefore “strive to encourage the proactive civil and political involvement of young Europeans in building a secure, united and peaceful society by respecting the European values”.
The aim will be to maintain the level of European investment in education and research, to promote digital, entrepreneurial and creative skills and to provide adequate infrastructure for education, training and research. Promoting the early childhood development concept, updating Europe’s education systems and programmes and promoting social cohesion through formal and informal education are just some of the actions that cannot wait, Sofia explained, although the EU has limited competences in these areas.
The Presidency hopes to identify the right skills for new jobs and better planning and interaction of policies in the fields of education, training and employment.
Bulgaria will continue the work on the European Commission’s ‘Modernising Education – Youth Initiative’ package and on the New Skills Agenda for Europe (see EUROPE 11566). Emphasis will be laid on the mid-term review of the programme Erasmus + to allow for a discussion of its future, in the context of the post-2020 multi-annual financial framework.
Promoting economic growth
The Bulgarian Presidency intends to support the growth of the member states’ economies and the equal participation of all EU states in the debate on Eurozone reforms, whether or not they are members of it. “We see the stability and inclusivity of the Eurozone as a vital prerequisite for the future of the European project”, explained Panayotova, whose country hopes to be invited to join the area at the end of 2018.
The Presidency will “undertake to create the optimum conditions for strong and durable economic growth in the EU”, by means of initiatives to reinforce and deepen Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). At the European Council of mid-December 2017 (see EUROPE 11927), the European leaders arranged to meet again for a Eurozone summit in March, followed by a summit of 27 June, to make the first decisions on the reform of the governance of the single currency, for instance by finalising banking union.
In the first six months of this year, Bulgaria intends to push forward the work of the Council on reducing risks in the banking sector and on the legislative proposal to create a European deposit insurance system (EDIS). It is also targeting progress in setting in place a Capital Markets Union, “in order to strike a balance between bank and non-bank finance”, and to create more funding opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Safeguarding high environmental protection and quality-of-life standards for the citizens through sustainable growth and a ‘green economy’ based around the transition to the circular economy and eco-innovative initiatives are also part of the Bulgarian agenda.
Budget of the EU post-2020
Discussions on the multi-annual financial framework (MFF) of the EU post-2020 will get underway on Bulgaria’s watch (see EUROPE 11934), with the European Commission to present its positions in May. Between now and then, a ministerial conference on the MFF will be held in Sofia on 9 March. In this way, the Presidency, which will lay emphasis on the stability of EU finances, will get to work on “the successful implementation of the future financial instruments and the creation of a framework based on lessons learned and aimed at more efficient and flexible governance”.
Bulgaria will also be getting to work on harmonising the rules of EU funds and instruments, seeking a balance between subsidies and financial instruments and between the traditional political priorities and new challenges that require financial support at EU level.
With regard to this, the future of the cohesion policy will be an important priority for the Bulgarian Presidency. With the support of long-term investments, this policy gives EU citizens “real added value and is a proven example of an operational instrument to reduce inequality, all elements that guarantee the success of the European model”, it adds.
In November of last year, the regional development minister, Lilyana Pavlova, detailed the Bulgarian Presidency’s objectives for the future of the cohesion policy before the MEPs of the EPP group of the European Parliament (see EUROPE 11901). Over the period 2014-2020, €7.6 billion has been granted to Bulgaria under the cohesion policy.
“Taking into account the need for simplification of the legislation of the rules and procedures (…), Bulgaria will work to optimise the model of shared management and effective implementation of the principle of proportionality with a focus on results”, the Bulgarian programme of work reads.
The simplification and modernisation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will also be on the menu, bearing in mind that “70% of European territory is rural”, Panayotova pointed out. “In today’s environment of globalisation and growing world population, the role of agricultural production and rural development as important economic, social and political factors is growing”, the Presidency stresses. It considers that the post-2020 CAP should improve the viability of farms and ensure a stable level of income for farmers. “Despite Brexit and the resulting negative effect on the EU budget, CAP should remain a strong and adequately funded community policy in view of the growing challenges worldwide, related to instability on agricultural markets, demographic changes, food security and limited natural resources”, the Presidency programme adds.
In common with preceding Presidencies of the Council of the EU, Bulgaria hopes to work in favour of the security and stability of the EU, for instance by reinforcing border controls and ensuring a more effective management of the migration phenomenon.
It plans to carry out in-depth discussions on reinforcing security controls within the EU and along its external borders and to work to restore the Schengen area of free movement of people to business as usual.
In the first half of this year, the EU will be focusing on the reform of the Schengen area, of which Bulgaria is not yet a member.
In the context of the fight against terrorism, the Presidency will encourage improved cooperation between the law enforcement authorities and security services as well as the exchange of information with European agencies.
Borissov, whose country shares a border with Turkey, strongly believes that security and the management of migration are closely linked. And with the EU struggling to reform the European asylum system, the Bulgarian Presidency considers that “achieving a sustainable system for managing migration and increasing the effectiveness of the return policy will be a key priority”. “To this end, we will work on strengthening the dialogue with third countries”, pledges Bulgaria, which also intends to look at the root causes of migration rather than just the consequences. It feels that progress on the reform of the common European asylum regime will be extremely important and that it should be “based on the principles of responsibility and true solidarity”.
On this point, Sofia will have its work cut out to reconcile the stances taken by the countries that are opposed to relocating migrants from Greece and Italy and by those calling on their partners to show solidarity by hosting migrants eligible for international protection (see EUROPE 11926).
Sofia believes that the role of legal migration in the development of the European economy should also be recognised and that the conditions for entry and residence of highly qualified workers from third countries (‘blue card’ directive) should be regulated.
The Presidency is also calling for efficient, rapid and fair justice, including by electronic means. The aim is to improve the business climate and step up protection for family rights (e.g. revision of the ‘Brussels IIa’ regulation on the jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of judgements in matrimonial matters and parental responsibility). Bulgaria’s priorities include launching the work of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, intensive discussions on the preparation of the new EU e-Justice Strategy 2019-2023, e-evidence and the related reinforcement of cross-border access to such evidence.
As regards the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, the Presidency’s main objective will be to consolidate the EU’s role as an international player. Together with the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Presidency hopes to work towards the full implementation of the initiatives under the EU’s global strategy, to deepen cooperation with NATO and to play a proactive role in the concrete implementation of the permanent structured cooperation (PSC) (see EUROPE 11925 and 11903). It will oversee the continued work for the adoption of the regulation establishing a European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), on which an inter-institutional agreement must be reached.
Furthermore, in the field of energy, the Bulgarian Presidency will strive to achieve Energy Union and promote the construction of the necessary infrastructure, in order to put an end to the energy isolation of certain member states from the European gas and electricity networks. The security of gas supply, protecting critical energy infrastructure and measures to increase energy efficiency are some of Bulgaria’s key priorities.
“Driven by the understanding that the EU should take full advantage of the potential of the existing macro-regional strategies”, Sofia will also work to enhance the visibility of the Danube and Black Sea regions.
“The Bulgarian Presidency’s ambition is to be a Balkan Presidency”, its programme announces unambiguously. Under this heading, the European perspective of the Western Balkans (Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia) is another key priority for Sofia. “We firmly believe that Europe’s prosperity and stability are linked to the prosperity and stability of the Western Balkans”, Deputy Minister Panayotova stresses.
Prime Minister Borissov takes the view that the EU has an opportunity to move the Balkan Peninsula closer to the EU, with the UK about to leave it. “It’s now or never. The subject has been off the table for years. Now’s our chance, because the Austrian and Romanian Presidencies will come after us. This is a rare opportunity”, he added.
The Balkans, therefore, will be a hot topic in the first part of 2018: in February, the European Commission is to present a specific strategy for the region, followed in April by its progress reports on the enlargement countries – after a break of 18 months.
Most importantly, an EU/Western Balkans summit will be held in Sofia on 17 May, the first in 15 years since the one held in Porto Carras in 2003, in the wake of the European summit of Thessaloniki (see EUROPE 8488). Panayotova explained that the aim of this summit is to confirm the European perspective of the countries of the region, the need to maintain sustainable peace, security and good neighbourly relations, and to encourage connectivity within the region and between it and the EU.
Without wishing to give the six countries of the Western Balkans any false hopes, the Bulgarian Presidency hopes to agree upon a clear action plan for each of them, with concrete measures. Sofia will lay emphasis on reinforcing regional cooperation and developing good neighbourly relations. The reinforcement of cooperation in terms of security and initiatives to tackle terrorism, organised crime, the security of the borders and the rule of law in the region are other priority areas.
Reinforcing connectivity within the Western Balkans from the point of view of energy, communication, transport, education and digital will feed into the aim of improving links with the European single market. To achieve this, the Presidency will help the countries to identify priority projects which the EU may help to finance, whilst taking care not to duplicate existing processes, such as the Berlin process. For instance, the Presidency is calling for a reduction of roaming charges and the development of Wi-Fi in the region.
With considerable support in the person of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, who is responsible for the Digital Society and Economy, the Bulgarian Presidency can only pick up where the Estonian Presidency left off and make the digital economy a priority. “The EU must act quickly and globally in the field of digital”, Panayotova observes.
Sofia considers that the digital single market, access to innovation and the link between education and the requirements of the future employment market are the basis for technological development. The programme lists electronic communications, the cross-border provision of services, particularly to small and medium-sized enterprises, copyright, privacy and personal data in electronic communications and cyber-security as some of the questions on the agenda to be resolved.
Bulgaria will emphasise the digital single market as a source of growth and competitiveness. The development of a competitive market, with a high level of protection for users by promoting the cross-border electronic trade in goods, digital content on offer and the provision of digital services are among the tasks it has set for itself. According to Sofia, the digital sector also calls for considerable investments in research and innovation, for instance cloud computing and big data.
The Presidency moreover intends to promote entrepreneurship based on digital issues and innovation, through progress in the implementation of the ‘Start up & Scale up’ initiative, the development of alternative sources of finance and improving the business climate for small and medium-sized enterprises, in line with the principle ‘Think Small First’.
To improve the competitiveness of the EU, Sofia argues that it will be necessary to overcome legal and regulatory obstacles to cross-border establishment and trade in goods and services within the EU. Bulgaria also plans to encourage the reduction of unjustified and disproportionate requirements on businesses in the field of services.
Fair and effective taxation of companies’ profits and the fight against tax fraud and tax evasion by dint of reinforced administrative cooperation and an effective exchange of information between member states are some of the Presidency’s priorities.
The Presidency will also continue work on the legislative proposals of the package on the provision of services and on a new proposal to be presented in the near future, concerning relations between online platforms and businesses. Developing inter-modal transport and progress on the ‘mobility’ package are also on Bulgaria’s agenda.
Facilitating the free movement of workers and the provision of services in the EU by revising the regulations on coordinating social security systems and improving existing rules on posted workers in the framework of the provision of services, currently the subject of inter-institutional negotiations, are among other priorities of Bulgaria, the poorest country in Europe with a minimum income - the lowest in the EU - of €235.
Finally, Sofia will also be working to improve: the environment in order to develop the social economy, by means of social innovation, equal opportunities and non-discrimination, in particular against women, the full social integration of persons living with a disability and active policies to tackle poverty and social inclusion and to protect health, including at the workplace.
January
15-18- Plenary of the European Parliament (Strasbourg)
22- Foreign Affairs Council (Brussels)
22- Eurogroup (Brussels)
23- ECOFIN (Brussels)
25-26- Informal Justice and Home Affairs (Sofia)
29- Agriculture - Fisheries Council (Brussels)
29- ‘Article 50’ General Affairs Council (to be confirmed) (in the afternoon) (Brussels)
31- Informal Competitiveness (Sofia)
February
1-2- Informal Competitiveness Council (Sofia)
5-8- Plenary of the European Parliament (Strasbourg)
13- Ministerial conference on “Tourism and Economic Growth” (Bulgaria)
15- EYCS Council ‘Education’ (Brussels)
15-16- Informal Foreign Affairs (Gymnich) (Sofia)
19- Agriculture - Fisheries Council (to be confirmed) (Brussels)
19- Eurogroup (Brussels)
20- ECOFIN (Brussels)
23- Informal meeting of the European leaders (Brussels)
25- Foreign Affairs Council (Brussels)
26- TTE Council ‘Energy’ (to be confirmed) (Brussels)
26-27- Informal trade (Sofia)
27- General Affairs Council (Brussels)
27- ‘Article 50’ General Affairs Council (Brussels)
28- Informal EYCS ‘Culture’ (Sofia)
28- Plenary of the European Parliament (Brussels)
March
1- Plenary of the European Parliament (Brussels)
1-2- Meeting of the ASEM culture ministers (Bulgaria)
5- Environment Council (Brussels)
6- Foreign Affairs Council ‘Defence’ (to be confirmed) (Brussels)
8-9- Justice and Home Affairs Council (Brussels)
9- Ministerial conference on the future multi-annual financial framework (Sofia)
12-15- Plenary of the European Parliament (Strasbourg)
12- Eurogroup (Brussels)
12-13- Competitiveness Council (Brussels)
13- ECOFIN Council (Brussels)
15- EPSCO Council ‘social policy’ (Brussels)
19- Foreign Affairs Council (Brussels)
19- Agriculture - Fisheries Council (Brussels)
20- General Affairs Council (Brussels)
20- ‘Article 50’ format General Affairs Council (Brussels)
21- Tripartite summit (Brussels)
22-23- European Council (Brussels)
April
10-11- Informal Environment (Sofia)
12- General Affairs Council ‘Cohesion’ (Luxembourg)
16- Foreign Affairs Council (Luxembourg)
16- Ministerial conference on the social economy and social entrepreneurship (Bulgaria)
16-17 Agriculture - Fisheries Council (Luxembourg)
16-19- Plenary of the European Parliament (Strasbourg)
17- General Affairs Council (Luxembourg)
17- ‘Article 50’ format General Affairs Council (possible) (Luxembourg)
17-18- Informal EPSCO ‘social policy’ (Sofia)
19- Justice and Home Affairs Council (to be confirmed) (Luxembourg)
19- Ministerial conference entitled ‘Clean energy- negotiating the way ahead’ (Bulgaria)
19-20- Informal TTE ‘Energy’ (Sofia)
22-23- Informal EPSCO ‘Health’ (Sofia)
25-26 – Meeting of the ASEM finance ministers (Bulgaria)
27-28- Informal ECOFIN (Sofia)
May
2-3- Plenary of the European Parliament (Brussels)
4-5- Informal Foreign Affairs ‘Defence’ (Sofia)
14- Agriculture – Fisheries Council (to be confirmed) (Brussels)
14- General Affairs Council (Brussels)
14- ‘Article 50’ format General Affairs Council (Brussels)
17- EU/Western Balkans summit (Sofia)
22- Foreign Affairs Council ‘Trade’ (in the morning) (Brussels)
22- Foreign Affairs Council ‘Development’ (in the afternoon) (Brussels)
22-23- EYCS Council
23- Meeting of EU/US justice and home affairs ministers (possible) (Bulgaria)
24- Eurogroup (Brussels)
25- ECOFIN (Brussels)
28-31- Plenary of the European Parliament (Brussels)
28- Foreign Affairs Council (Brussels)
28-29- Competitiveness Council (Brussels)
June
3-5- Informal Agriculture – Fisheries (Sofia)
4-5- Justice and Home Affairs Council (Luxembourg)
7- TTE Council 'Transport' (Luxembourg)
8- TTE Council ‘Telecommunications’ (Luxembourg)
8- High-level conference on “EU cohesion policy: perspectives after 2024 sustainable convergence and regions” (Bulgaria)
11- TTE Council ‘Energy’ (Luxembourg)
11-14- Plenary of the European Parliament (Strasbourg)
12-13- Agriculture – Fisheries Council (Luxembourg)
21- EPSCO Council ‘social policy’ (Luxembourg)
21- Eurogroup (Luxembourg)
22- ECOFIN (Luxembourg)
22- EPSCO Council ‘Health’ (Luxembourg)
25- Foreign Affairs Council (Luxembourg)
25- Environment Council (Luxembourg)
26- General Affairs Council (Luxembourg)
26- ‘Article 50’ General Affairs Council (Luxembourg)
28-29- European Council (Brussels)