site.btaFrench President Macron Backs Bulgaria's Bid for Schengen, Eurozone, Expects Deal on Posted Workers by End-October

Varna, on the Black Sea, August 25 (BTA) - French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for Bulgaria's bid to join the Schengen Area and the Eurozone when he conferred with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov at the Euxinograd Residence near Varna on Friday. Macron also said that a to-the-point deal will be reached by end-October on the Posted Workers Directive in order to eliminate social dumping. He sharply criticized Poland's refusal to change its position on a revision of the directive.

For his part, Borissov argued that the posted workers negotiations should be bound with the discussion on the EU Cohesion Policy.

Macron is paying a visit to Bulgaria at Radev's and Borissov's joint invitation.

"Bulgaria has met the criteria and can become a full member of the Schengen Area," the French President told a news briefing at Euxinograd, emerging from his one-to-one session with Radev on Friday.

The guest said that the sides had agreed on active cooperation. He specified that he and Radev reached agreement on four particularly important subjects. In Macron's words, one of the issues of shared concern is the need to review migration and asylum rules. He added that he and the Bulgarian President had concurred that the two countries should work together on matters of defence. Paris and Sofia also need to cooperate for an economic and financial upturn in the EU, the French head of State pointed out.

"I am glad to welcome President Macron 10 years after a French president last visited Bulgaria," Radev said for his part. The Bulgarian President sees a major leap forward in bilateral relations. He stressed the need to promote business-to-business contacts and to encourage partnership in tourism, science and culture.

In Radev's words, Bulgaria has a strategic relationship with France which is becoming ever more important in the context of Bulgaria's EU membership. He expects the two countries to coordinate their efforts in working out common positions about the EU agenda, with a focus on security and defence, the migrant crisis, the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council, and a socially sensitive Europe.

Radev specified that he and his counterpart expressed shared satisfaction with the achievements on defence cooperation, which has the potential to be promoted further with the projects related to the development of the Bulgarian Navy and Land Forces. The two also considered the options of a strong European defence industry as a mandatory part of a strong Europe on the global scene.

"Getting migration under control and reducing the risk of terrorist attacks require a common European policy and deeper cooperation, enhanced protection of the external borders and combating illegal trafficking," Radev added. In this connection, he shared with Macron the need of greater solidarity with the first-line Member States. Bulgaria expects support from France for the operational plan for Bulgarian border protection.

"The European perspective of the Western Balkans was among the highlights of the discussion," Radev said. He noted that unless this region gets such perspective, Europe will sooner or later face a Balkan perspective. The President noted that a maximum integration of those countries into the European policies as well as their participation in new cooperation initiatives remains a key priority for Bulgaria.

"The reform of the Posted Workers Directive also figured high on the agenda of the talks," Radev said. He specified that Bulgaria opposes the circumvention of rules and the evasion of social security contributions. In his words, the social services of the separate Member States need to engage in closer cooperation and exercise tighter control. "I agree to the need of regulatory revisions to preserve workers' rights, to improve working conditions and lead to higher living standards," the Bulgarian President said. In his opinion, the question of social rights is not confined to that directive. "There are other problems as well: tax dumping, corporate dumping, as well paying workers from the new Member States several fold less than their colleagues of the old Member States for work of the same quantity and quality," Radev said. In his opinion, these issues can be addressed by an integral approach leading to sustainable solutions.

Macron said, for his part, that the idea of Europe is to improve its citizens life. He is confident that the reform of the Posted Workers Directive will happen despite Poland's statements. "The Polish people deserve better than that, and the Prime Minister will have great difficulty explaining that bad pay is good for the Poles," the French President said. He argued that "the statement implies that Poland is at odds with European interests." "The Polish Prime Minister's position actually convinced me of the need to think of reforms in Europe," the guest pointed out. He stressed the need to break the wall between old and new Member States and achieve their convergence.

"By the end of October, we will have a to-the-point agreement on the Posted Workers Directive in order to eliminate social dumping," the French President said after conferring with Borissov at Euxinograd later in the day. "Posting workers is bad not only for the European project but also for the workers themselves," Macron explained.

In his words, other discussions will go on as well, such as on land transport. "Let me put it figuratively: when we have a French employer hiring Bulgarian workers, I can't agree that they should be paid at the Bulgarian prices," he pointed out.

"I support Bulgaria's will to be admitted to the waiting room for the Eurozone as a way of achieving convergence within the Eurozone," Macron said. "Bulgaria has already met the conditions for the Eurozone and should have been part of it by now," he asserted.

"Bulgaria will share in the reform of Schengen and will become member of a new Schengen," the French President noted. "I want Bulgaria to start participating in all initiatives in both the Eurozone and Schengen," he added.

Borissov thanked the guest for his support on these subjects that are important for Bulgaria. "Bulgaria has met all conditions for joining the waiting room for the Eurozone and Schengen and deserves to be there," he concurred.

"We have done our homework and we do not pose any risk to the Eurozone," the Bulgarian Prime Minister said, listing this country's good macroeconomic and financial indicators: the state of the banking system, the budget surplus, one of the lowest foreign debts in the EU, a stable fiscal reserve and a currency board arrangements, as well as a huge reserve of the central bank.

"I thanked France for supporting the establishment of the Balkan gas hub and for economic and industrial cooperation," Borissov added.

"We had the rare chance to try during this pleasant visit of Emmanuel Macron to Bulgaria to work on mutually advantageous agreements and policies and to stand up for them together in the EU," the Bulgarian head of government said. He argued that the subject of workers posted from the countries of Eastern Europe should be separated from the discussion on the operation of road hauliers. In Borissov's words, it should be inadmissible that certain workers should live in appalling conditions and be paid less than the local workers. "We must, however, go further back, so that the most backward countries of the former socialist camp would faster increase their income and thus obviate this migration. That is way the discussions on the Cohesion Policy should go in parallel [with the negotiations on posted workers] so as to raise the standard of living in our region, including in the Western Balkans. With reason, tolerance, understanding and standing up for the interests of each Member State, we will achieve a more united and stronger EU," Borissov said.

Approached by journalists for reaction to the Polish Prime Minister's statements on the Posted Workers Directive reform, the Bulgarian PM said that relations between EU Member States should not enter a phase of open confrontation. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo will shortly visit Bulgaria and this subject will be on the agenda. "President Macron said where the defect lies with the implementation of this directive, and it is up to us all to decide how this defect will be mended," Borissov noted. He specified that Bulgaria fully supports the fact that the problem is on the table and agreement on it can be reached before the end of this year.

Asked to sum up his visits to various European countries this month, Macron said that these visits had convinced him that Member States can reach agreement on amendments to the Directive by the end of October. He pointed out that the forthcoming reform can follow the ambitious framework outlined by France.

"All heads of State want Europe to adopt a more pragmatic approach and to work jointly on tackling the problems," the French President said. He added that the results of the talks have convinced him that this point of time is favourable for an upsurge of the European project. "We must overcome the differences, the division between founding states and acceding state, between Eurozone members and non-members," Macron insisted. In his opinion, this objective may be at the core of a project to reform Europe, and France assumes the responsibility to propose changes of the EU that can be undertaken. He added that the roadmap for the new reformed EU can be on the negotiating table before the end of this year.

While their husbands were busy with the official talks, First Ladies Desislava Radeva and Brigitte Macron visited Balchik (on the Black Sea) and toured the Palace of Romanian Queen Marie and the Botanic Garden.