site.btaFormula Will Be Found to Keep Britain as EU's Closest Partner, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Says

Sofia, June 19 (BTA) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva is confident that a formula will be found to keep Britain as the EU's closest partner after the country leaves the bloc. "Brexit has made the other countries realize that the European project is not an irreversible process and we need to safeguard it every day and to respond promptly to the expectations of EU citizens. It has added an impetus to the debate about how we should reform our Union," Zaharieva said on Tuesday. She was speaking at a Sofia University-hosted discussion on "The Impact of Brexit on Bulgaria: What Will Change and What Will Remain the Same?"

The top Bulgarian diplomat recalled that the motto of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council is "United We Stand Strong." She pointed to the existing consensus about the need for a Brexit transition period until the end of 2020 in order to ensure predictability and security for businesses and individuals. About 25 per cent of the future Brexit agreement remains to be negotiated but by March 2019 the agreement should be ratified by the British Parliament and approved by the European Parliament. Zaharieva said Britain's exit from the EU implies a withdrawal from over 750 international agreements to which the EU is a party. Many of Britain's bilateral agreements with Bulgaria date back to the period before 1989. Brexit will affect every aspect of public life, the minister predicted.

"Citizens will enjoy every right during the transition period," Zaharieva further commented. "It is important to keep travel visa-free and to make sure that those EU citizens who want to stay in Britain after Brexit do not have to go through harrowing bureaucratic procedures."

She also noted: "Britain's relations with the EU should not be limited to a trade agreement. It is important to keep our close relations and strategic partnership in security, defence, foreign policy, labour mobility, our cooperation in the European Atomic Energy Community, and in education."

British Ambassador to Bulgaria Emma Hopkins said 75 per cent of the Brexit deal has already been negotiated. In the field of security, London has proposed very serious options and a general agreement to maintain cooperation. Britain and the EU need to have mutually compatible systems and procedures in order to keep working together. Close cooperation is important, Ambassador Hopkins said.

In the field of the economy, ways are being sought for Britain's cooperation with the EU to be as comprehensive as possible, in as many sectors as possible, the Ambassador said. According to her, conventional free trade agreements are not the only option. Our economies are closely linked and Britain wants to remain a reliable partner, Hopkins said.