site.btaBulgaria Presents EU Presidency Priorities in Justice,Home Affairsin European Parliament

Brussels, January 11 (BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - Bulgarian Ministers of Justice Tsetska Tsacheva and of Interior Valentin Radev on Thursday presented the priorities of the Bulgarian EU presidency to the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in the European Parliament. Tsacheva said that the programme of the presidency is busy with many challenges.

Questions asked involved changes to the Dublin regulations, the adoption of the Istanbul Convention, migrant resettlement, the protection of minorities, an approach to a proposal by the European Commission to suspend Poland's voting rights, corruption among the Bulgarian border guards, police and custom officers and clocking of second hand cars in Bulgaria.

Minister Radev said that the Dublin regulations are a priority for the Bulgarian government and that Bulgaria will do its best. Bulgaria will work to ensure a common approach to migrant resettlement. Information is the greatest asset in the fight against terrorism and crime, said the Minister. He suggested that MEPs should ask for the opinions of European officers who work on the Bulgarian-Turkish border.

Radev said that clocking of second hand cars in Bulgaria is not the most important problem but admitted that is employed by organized crime.

Justice Minister Tsacheva said that EU citizens expect that the European Public Prosecutor's Office should start operating as soon as possible because it will counter money laundering which is a key problem in the fight against terrorism and organized crime. She expressed hope that Bulgaria will ratify the Istanbul convention and the set the national debate on the matter within the context of the freedom of speech. Tsacheva expressed hope that the convention will be debated by the legislature urgently, noting that the convention have been ratified by 17 EU countries. On the question about Poland Tsacheva said that first Warsaw should be asked to give an explanation.

Speaking to the media later, Tsacheva expressed satisfaction with the hearing. "I did not sense a negative attitude, we all want concrete decisions in the interest of EU citizens."

Interior Minister Radev said he was surprised by the many specific questions. He said that MEPs have grasped very well the priorities of the Bulgarian presidency which are common for the EU. He said that everyone was well-meaning.