site.btaBulgaria Hands Over Rotating EU Presidency to Austria

Schladming mountain resort, June 30 (BTA spec. corr. Hristo Vodenov) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and European Council President Donald Tusk held a meeting here on Saturday for the symbolic handover of the rotating EU Presidency from Bulgaria to Austria. The participants in the meeting reviewed the results achieved during the Bulgarian Presidency and the priorities of the Austrian Presidency.

Borissov thanked for the constructive dialogue in the Council which made it possible to renew the attention to the Balkan region. "Giving a clear horizon for opening pre-accession talks to Albania and Macedonia laid the foundations of the perspective of the entire region," Borissov said, noting the the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia in May played a critical rile in the process. The Bulgarian Prime Minister wished success to his Austrian counterpart in the next six-month Presidency of the EU Council. "Our slogan was United We Stand Strong while the slogan of the Austrian Presidency is "A Europe that protects". We can protect only when we are united," Borissov said.

Tusk and Kurz addressed the people who had come to attend the symbolic handover ceremony.

Borsissov said further that Kurz and he were in constant dialogue during the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council so that Bulgaria's priorities could be continued. "We are always ready to render assistance and offer opinion in the next six months. The current times are very complex, and I wish success to the Austrian Presidency so that there is a Europe that protects every singe country," Borissov said.

The Austrian Presidency continues the direction of the Bulgarian Presidency, focusing on three key priorities: security and counteracting illegal migration, competitiveness through digitalization, and perspective to the countries in the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe. This is the third time Austria takes over the rotating EU Council Presidency.

In Schladming Borissov was accompanied by Bulgarian Minister in charge of the Bulgarian EU Presidency Lilyana Pavlova.