site.btaDeputy PM Kuneva On Her Visit to Romania

Deputy PM Kuneva
Gives Briefing about
Her Visit to Romania


Sofia, January 17 (BTA) - Deputy Prime Minister for European
Policy and
Institutional Affairs Meglena Kuneva visited on Saturday the
Bulgarian cities of Rousse (on the Danube) and Razgrad
(Northeastern Bulgaria) after returning from her visit to
Romania. She met with media representatives to present the
agreements reached with the Romanian government.

Kuneva was on a two-day working visit to Romania, January 15
through 16. In Bucharest she met and conferred with Romanian
Prime Minister Victor Ponta , Economy, Trade and Tourism
Minister Mihai Tudose, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, European
 Funds Minister Eugen Teodorovici, Minister of Internal Affairs
Gabriel Oprea, the head of Anti-Corruption Directorate of
Romania (DNA), Laura Codruta Kovesi, the President of the
National Integrity Agency, Horia Georgescu.

Her talks focused on interstate economic initiatives,
opportunities for joint regions projects under the Juncker Plan
and the implementation of joint actions concerning the accession
 to Schengen area. She also discussed Romania's experience in 
fighting corruption in view of the European Commission's
forthcoming Cooperation and Verification Mechanism report.

At a news conference in Rousse, Kuneva said that she and
Romanian Prime Minister Ponta have discussed proposals for four
joint projects, with which the two countries can apply for
European Commission funding under the so called Juncker Plan.  
  

The first project is related to the construction of two bridges
over the Danube - one connecting Silistra and Calarasi and the
other one - Nikopol and Turnu Magurele. The remaining three
projects are about improving navigation along the Danube,
constructing a hydro-engineering complex along the river, as
well as creating a South-North natural gas corridor between the
two countries.

Kuneva explained that if Bulgaria and Romania come up with joint
 projects under the Juncker Plan, this would increase their
chances of getting a positive assessment and financing. She
added that a meeting between the two countries' governments is
scheduled for next month.

Bulgaria must catch up to Romania in terms of anti-corruption,
she answered a question about whether Romania's Schengen
accession could happen before Bulgaria's. "I do not want for
Bulgaria's success to consist of us stopping our neighbours,
because this is senseless," she said.

Kuneva noted that she was very impressed by her meeting with
Kovesi and Georgescu. On Friday, after her meetings in Bucharest
 with Kovesi and  Georgescu, Kuneva said, quoted by her
Ministry, that there are  possibilities whereby Bulgaria create
structures fighting  corruption similar to those in Romania,
with similar powers. In  Kuneva's words, the Cooperation and
Verification Mechanism does  yield results in Romania, and
Bulgaria can draw experience from  the good practices.

Commenting the situation in Bulgaria in Rousse, Kuneva said that
 a person must be selected who will exhibit bravery and
sustainability, adding that this is currently lacking. "Whatever
 we say about strategies and laws, if there is no person with
sufficient bravery, we won't have any success. The politicians
are required to let this person appear," she said.

The bilateral meetings for studying and applying the Romanian
experience in the fight against corruption via the two
specialized bodies continue next week with a visit to Bucharest
of Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov. SN/MY
 

/ÌÉ/