site.btaEU Chief Brexit Negotiator Barnier Confers with Prime Minister Borissov, Bulgarian MPs

EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Barnier Confers with Prime Minister Borissov, Bulgarian MPs

Sofia, June 29 (BTA) - The European Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier met here on Thursday with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and members of the parliamentary committees for foreign affairs and EU affairs and EU funds oversight.

During the meeting with Borissov, Barnier said that Bulgaria is prepared to assume its responsibilities, presiding over the Council of the European Union in 2018, and support the negotiating team on Brexit. "We rely on you to serve as guarantor that negotiations will be transparent," said Barnier.

Prime Minister Borissov said that Bulgaria supports putting citizens' rights on top of the agenda. According to him, the future Brexit agreement should lay down a non-discriminatory and viable mechanism which will create legal certainty for those EU citizens who are long-term and permanent residents in the UK. Borissov expressed concern over the large number of students in the country.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that Bulgaria attaches particular importance to the principle of European unity in the negotiations so that the agreement guarantees in a fair and balanced way the interests of all EU countries and their citizens. Borissov expressed hope that the EU and the UK will continue to cooperate in the areas of security and fight against terrorism after Brexit.

Borissov and Barnier concurred it was crucial that the UK honors all its financial commitments to the EU. Such an approach will help offset the negative effects on the EU budget and will keep individual countries' contribution to the EU budget.

Emerging from his meeting with MPs, Barnier said that as Brexit negotiations were of interest to many EU citizens, he wanted these negations to be transparent and he intended to meet with national parliaments first.

Barnier said he was to meet with employer organizations, trade unions, Parliament and government officials in all European capitals.

Barnier recalled that the EU Presidency will rotate to Bulgaria in the beginning of 2018, the year when Brexit negotiations are set to conclude. "This presidency is very important and I hope that Bulgaria will help us be successful," added Barnier.

He said he had informed Prime Minister Borissov and the MPs that the EU has many more issues to resolve apart from Brexit. "We should talk on the common security, citizens' rights and migration," said Barnier.

Barnier stressed the importance of unity between the 27 government leaders, the EU countries and the European Parliament but he said it was equally important to involve the national parliaments which will have to ratify the Brexit agreement.