On the 16th of January the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Serbia H. E. Mr. Radko Vlaykov presented the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in hotel Metropol in Belgrade. Speakers on the event were also the Minister for European integration of the Republic of Serbai Mrs. Jadranka Joksimovic and H. E. Mr. Sem Fabrizi, Head of the Delegation of the EU in Serbia.
On January 1, 2018, a decade after its accession to the EU, Bulgaria took over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time. For Bulgaria country it is a great honour, but a great responsibility too.
For six months Bulgaria will be the main driving force for the tasks on the agenda of the Union, it will perform the functions of an honest mediator, a political leader, a representative and a coordinator. We are prepared for this, we realise it will not be easy, but we know what we want to achieve and we can do it. Our goal is to respond to the real needs of European citizens and turn challenges into opportunities.
Today, Europe needs more SECURITY, SOLIDARITY and STABILITY.
We will work for a
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Secure Europe, because the migration crisis and the terrorist acts over the past years have shown how vulnerable we are;
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Stable Europe, because the citizens want to know that the European Union is taking care of their prosperity and wellbeing;
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Solidary Europe, because all member states are faced with the main challenges and they can be overcome only with joint action, not at national or local level.
How are we going to achieve it? Through CONSENSUS, COMPETITIVENESS and COHESION.
We are convinced that they are fundamental for the future of Europe, and for achieving them one needs courage, political vision and shared efforts. The key to attaining our common goals is unity. It is not by chance that we chose “United We Stand Strong” for our slogan. This is the motto of our National Assembly and of the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Bulgaria. This will be the slogan of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018, which our country will follow in each action as rotational President. We will work for unity between the member states, as well as between the European institutions.
Tomorrow Europe will be what we make it today. Today is the time to build a stronger, more secure and more solidary European Union. The citizens of Bulgaria and of the European Union expect from us to find concrete solutions to concrete issues. The Bulgarian Presidency will work in a transparent manner, open to all European partners and, above all, to all European citizens.