site.btaDeputy PM Zaharieva Confers in Paris with French Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice

Paris, October 24 (BTA) - Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva conferred in Paris on Monday with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian and with Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals Nicole Belloubet, Zaharieva's Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.

The chief Bulgarian diplomat is paying a two-day visit to Paris on October 23 and 24.

"We count on your expertise and support during the Presidency. Apart from the future of the EU, I would add to the important topics the Common Security and Defence Policy, on which we expect tangible progress, as well as the common asylum policy, on which our two countries hold similar positions," Zaharieva said. She stressed that the Bulgarian Presidency will probably have to cope with some 200 open dossiers but the Bulgarian teams are already working together with the Estonian ones for a seamless transition between the two presidencies.

The Deputy PM said that Bulgaria wants to be a part of all integration processes. We realize that we are not entirely ready for some of these integration processes as the Eurozone, but I do thank you for backing our entry into ERM II," Zaharieva said. She also expressed gratitude for France's support for the judicial reform.

"We support the Bulgarian Presidency and your positions on the asylum policy. It is necessary to set up a reception mechanism right at the border so as to respect the solidarity principle after that. Thus, the refugees rather than the economic migrants will be granted asylum," Le Drian said.

The two foreign ministers concurred that people expect tangible action from European politicians. "The EU's inability to make quick decisions has led to an upsurge of Eurosceptic and populist parties. Bulgaria was probably the only external border at which every refugee was registered according to the Dublin Regulation. We are glad that the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) began its operation from Bulgaria," Zaharieva said.

She presented Bulgaria's principal foreign policy priority, which is also a priority of the Bulgarian Presidency: the integration of the Western Balkans,

At her session with Justice Minister Belloubet, the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister presented the Bulgarian Presidency priorities in the field of justice: institutionalization of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), intensified integration in civil law, progress of the online sales dossiers, and the common asylum policy. "We accept President Macron's idea that the EPPO should investigate complicated cross-border terrorism cases in addition to financial fraud," Zaharieva said.

* * *

Bulgaria and France established diplomatic relations on July 8, 1879. In July 2008 the two countries signed an Strategic Partnership Agreement, including a Political Declaration and a Roadmap and covering all spheres of bilateral cooperation.

Bulgaria and France engage in active operational interaction in the suppression of organized crime, illegal migration and terrorism and very good expert exchange. A French adviser to the Bulgarian Interior Minister has been appointed for ten years now.

French President Emmanuel Macron paid a working visit to Bulgaria on August 24 and 25. In Varna, he conferred with President Rumen Radev and with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Before that, on June 6, 2016, Borissov had talks with the French head of State within the framework of a working visit to France.

France is among Bulgaria's principal foreign trading partners. While bilateral economic relations have been making progress in recent years, there is an untapped potential in this respect. Over the last ten years, two-way trade has increased by 61.2 per cent, with Bulgarian exports to France doubling during that period. France is Bulgaria's sixth largest market and ten largest suppliers. France ranks 12th among the home countries of foreign investments in Bulgaria. According to figures released by the Bulgarian National Bank, the net payments effected during the first quarter of 2017 amounted to 17 million euro. Potential destinations for French investments include energy, water and waste management, infrastructure project construction, mechanical engineering, food processing, organic agriculture, the vine and wine sector, etc.

Tourist exchanges between the two countries are intensifying. The 47,260 French tourists who visited Bulgaria in the first half of 2017 were 30.7 per cent more numerous than in the same period of 2016. Bulgarian tourists visiting France have increased as well, by 19.3 per cent in January-June 2017 compared to the first half of last year.