site.bta Bulgaria, Italy Have Similar Positions on EU Future - Parliament Chair Tsacheva, Italian President Mattarella

Bulgaria, Italy Have Similar Positions on EU Future - Parliament Chair Tsacheva,Italian President Mattarella

Sofia, September 14 (BTA) - Bulgaria and Italy have similar positions about the future of the EU and the ways in which the challenges it faces can be overcome, National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva and Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared at their meeting, the parliamentary press office said Wednesday.
  
The Italian President is paying an official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of the head of state Rosen Plevneliev.
   
Bulgaria is committed to and is preparing intensively for the forthcoming EU Presidency and will rely on the experience of the states with successful presidencies before it, Italy included, Tsacheva noted, remarking on the fact that Bulgaria's earlier Presidency calls for faster preparations.
   
Italy will readily provide its experience in the field, Mattarella said. He commended the development of bilateral relations, which he called very special and important. That is so because Italy and Bulgaria have an identical vision about the future of the EU, as well as similar positions on the problems of the Union and the ways to overcome them, the Italian President added.
   
The talks also focused on the migration wave and the challenges it raises before the EU. Bulgaria is an external border and that is a major problem for this country, one on which it has been working with the clear awareness of its responsibility, Tsacheva said. The government is constantly committed to ensure the reliable security of the border and the Bulgarian Parliament has also undertaken legislative measures related to the new challenges.
   
No single EU member-country can cope with this situation on its own, the sides agreed. More than ever today not only declarative support is needed, but also concrete assistance for guarding the Bulgarian border because there is a risk not only for Bulgaria but for the whole of Europe, Tsacheva underscored.    
   
The problem with the migration flow requires comprehensive and adequate answers, Mattarella declared. In his words, the migration wave, the resistance against terrorism and the economic and financial difficulties within the EU call for a united and strong policy of the EU to deal with these problems, the Italian President said.