site.btaFrance Shares Its Expertise with Bulgaria as EU Presidency Holder

France Shares Its Expertise with Bulgaria as EU Presidency Holder

Sofia, April 14 (BTA) - A conference in the framework of Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva's European Debates Initiative was held in Sofia Thursday to highlight France's expertise as a holder of the rotating Presidency of the EU. The head of France's General Secretariat for European Affairs, Philippe Leglise-Costa, spoke at the meeting about his country's planning of past EU presidencies. France has held the Presidency 12 times, and Bulgaria will have its first stint in the second half of 2018.

Leglise-Costa said Bulgaria will be watched closely during its Presidency of the bloc. Therefore, the country should be a model in every respect, both in the planning process and in the reforms. On the other hand, this is a major investment, he said.

While planning the six-month Presidency, it is necessary to talk with the other member states and the EU institutions and to seek compromise and convergence of views at every stage of the talks, the diplomat said, adding that the principle of transparency should be observed.

He said a country which is going to take over the EU Presidency should put together teams to work in Brussels, where they should look for the best experts in particular areas and learn about how to negotiate with the European Parliament. There are strict deadlines for drafting EU legislation because the MEPs need time to familiarize themselves with what they are going to vote on. Force-majeure questions and problems are also possible, and the EU Presidency holder should be able to sort things out at any given moment, Leglise-Costa said.

He noted that France can help the Bulgarian public administration with the planning. Administrators should go to Brussels, Paris and the other capitals to meet their partners and see whom they can turn to if problems emerge.

Deputy PM Kuneva said organizing the Bulgarian EU Presidency will be a very meticulous operation which is being planned according to a strict timetable. She said this is a national priority and the stakeholders are highly motivated and have pooled their efforts. A total of 847 people in 28 institutions will be working towards this goal. Most of them are proficient in English but 300 of them need additional training.

The 2018 Bulgarian EU Presidency already has an Internet portal and there is a centralized training programme, Kuneva noted. "We do not yet have a logo and a concept for Bulgaria's presentation. We should begin preparing them very urgently because they will spark much debate," she said.

She noted that Sofia will be planning its EU Presidency at a time when the United Kingdom will hold a referendum on its EU membership, the current European Parliament will end its tenure, and parliamentary elections will be held in Bulgaria.