site.btaDeputy Prime Minister Zaharieva Confers with Austrian Vice Chancellor Brandstetter,Attends Forum Wachau

ESD 17:47:01 11-06-2017
PP1746ES.105
105 POLITICS-AUSTRIA-BULGARIA-ZAHARIEVA

Deputy Prime Minister Zaharieva Confers
with Austrian Vice Chancellor Brandstetter,
Attends Forum Wachau


Vienna/Sofia, June 11 (BTA) - Deputy Prime Minister for judicial reform and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva has conferred with Austrian Vice Chancellor and Minister for Justice Wolfgang Brandstetter. The two met at the Goettweig Abbey within the framework of the Europa Forum Wachau where Zaharieva was a keynote speaker, her Ministry said .

Brandstetter is quoted as saying that Bulgaria has accomplished a lot with regards to judicial reform, underscoring the improved conditions in detention facilities.

The two sides discussed the upcoming elections in Austria in October and the programme of the Trio Estonia, Bulgaria and Austria for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Zaharieva thanked for Austria's support for Bulgaria's Schengen entry and briefed her host on the measures taken by Bulgaria to protect the EU's external border with Turkey.

In her remarks during Forum Wachau, Zaharieva said that EU leaders should work tirelessly to restore the trust of citizens in the institutions. "Politicians should become more approachable and closer to people," she added.

Zaharieva listed the challenges before the EU: terrorism, migration, slow economic growth, climate change. "There is a feeling now that our world is in crisis and, within the European context, that the model of the European Union is in a crisis. Under the circumstances, European citizens find it ever more difficult to keep their faith in the rules of the system that governs our democratic societies." She argued that if politicians want to address successfully the problem of the low public trust in the community and in the national institutions, they must bring the EU closer to its citizens, find working solutions and take concrete action.

"Once and for all we should stop blaming our problems on Brussels and at the same time take credit for the accomplishments," Zaharieva said. She urged for more policies based on facts and for educating EU citizens on how the EU is working.

According to her, another challenge before Europe today is the need for politicians to show citizens how the EU is able to take advantage of globalization.

She recalled that until several years ago the free movement of people, goods and services was not possible. "The EU has provided us with an opportunity to work wherever we want, with free access to information and with the possibility to take advantage of the diversity of the common market," Zaharieva said.

The Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister said it was important to promote a sense of justice among all EU citizens as this was the principal benchmark for the work of EU institutions.

As important steps Zaharieva outlined speedier access to justice, cutting red tape for citizens and for the business, a common defence policy and overcoming radicalisation among the young. LN/PP