Luxembourg, 10/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - During the sixth meeting of the EU/Bulgaria Association Council, which took place on Tuesday in Luxembourg under the Presidency of Pierre Moscovici (French Minister for European Affairs) the Bulgarian delegation lead by Vladimir Kissiov Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, expressed his "profound disappointment" over the fact that his country is on the list of third countries whose nationals need a visa to enter the EU. For a candidate country which has opened, at the start of this year, the accession negotiations and which has just closed the first Chapter, this is a "untenable situation", insisted Mr Kissiov following the meeting. "Maintaining us on the black list, the EU sends a bad signal" towards our population and for the enlargement process as a whole, he felt.
The European Commission has already proposed to the Fifteen to remove Bulgaria (and Romania) from this black list, and the European Parliament supported it, but a final decision from the Member States has still not been taken.
Furthermore, the Association Council welcomed the fact that Bulgaria fulfils all the political criteria for accession and that has made "significant efforts" in the pursuit of macro-economic reforms. These efforts will, however, be ceaselessly continued, as the public administration and judiciary sector reforms.