What other Europe could help Bulgaria?
Representatives of various influential political parties in Bulgaria in the course of constructive debate, organized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Sofia, tried to answer the question “What is Europe can help Bulgaria?”. The aim was to show that the country’s membership in the EU has many positive sides, and it is important that the Bulgarians voted in the elections to the European Parliament on June 7 in order to take advantage of opportunities that provide them with the EU.
“Europe has provided ample opportunity for Bulgaria. The question is how they take advantage of Bulgaria – said in an interview to Radio Bulgaria Nikolay Mladenov from the party emblem of the European People’s Party (EPP). – For me it is important to solve the problem of frozen funds from the European funds. Moreover, it is important to Bulgaria early action on the euro and the entry into the Schengen zone. When this happens, then actually disappear borders throughout Europe. Opportunities provided, the rules are defined. It depends on us, as they are implemented.
“For me, it is important that the EU continued to support the efforts of all member countries to overcome financial and economic crisis – said Metin Kazak – MEP, co-managing the party of Bulgarian Turks DPS in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), candidate in the next five-year mandate EP. – And one of the basic principles of European family – solidarity – continues to apply to Bulgaria and other countries that need more support from the union and solidarity in Europe. All Bulgarian MPs in the EU should support and protect the common national idea. Despite the fact that we share the ideological program, and our views on how to pursue a policy of Bulgaria are divided, when we are united by a common national interest, there are ways and means to defend it together in the EP. This became clear when the EP discussed the report, in which Bulgaria was mentioned in a rather negative light. We, the Bulgarian MEPs, together, managed to persuade his colleagues to remove these negative lyrics about Bulgaria. Perhaps the European membership of Bulgaria is still perceived as something given, which in one moment can rectify the decades of the situation in Bulgaria. But I think that more people are aware that only through their own efforts, supported by the EU, we will reach that level of development that exists in other, more old EU member states. This is where we must convince the Bulgarian citizens.