site.btaDimitris Kourkoulas: Bulgarian EU Presidency in 2018 is an Opportunity that Should Not Be Missed

Dimitris Kourkoulas: Bulgarian EU Presidency in 2018 is an Opportunity that Should Not Be Missed

Sofia, November 26 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2018 is an opportunity that should not be missed as it will boost the country's confidence and will improve its international image, Greek diplomat Dimitris Kourkoulas, former head of the European Commission delegation to Bulgaria, said in Sofia on Thursday.

Kourkoulas gave a talk during a discussion on the planning of the Bulgarian EU Presidency, organized by Deputy Prime Minister for EU Policy Coordination and Institutional Affairs Meglena Kuneva.

Kuneva said: "I want Bulgaria to have the best EU Presidency which costs as little money as possible." She noted that good technical planning of the Presidency will enable the country to focus on diplomatic work.

Kourkoulas said Bulgaria should plan its EU Presidency without delay. According to him, the new type of Presidency established by the Treaty of Lisbon gives the country holding the Presidency more clout in the legislative process. On the other hand, the administrative burden on the Presidency holder is bigger than before, because it has the daunting task of organizing between 10 and 20 informal ministerial meetings and over 200 meetings of working groups, the diplomat said.

Kourkoulas noted that six months from now Bulgaria will have to begin formulating the priorities of its EU Presidency, but before that it would be wise to discuss them in the political groups in the European Parliament and with some key committee leaders in the European legislature.