site.btaDeputy Prime Minister Buchvarova: Bulgaria Has Plan, Potential to Prepare Well for EU Presidency in 2018

Deputy Prime Minister Buchvarova: Bulgaria Has Plan, Potential to Prepare Well for EU Presidency in 2018

Sofia, August 26 (BTA) - Bulgaria has a plan, as well as the potential, to be well prepared for taking over the rotating Presidency of the European Council in July-December 2018, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Roumyana Buchvarova said, quoted by the government's information service, at the first meeting of the thematic working group on the administrative capacity in preparation of Bulgaria's EU Presidency.

Buchvarova heads the group in her capacity as Deputy Prime Minister in charge of state administration and coalition policy. She presented a preparation plan of ten measures, which she said are logically connected and building on each other.

The first and second measures of the plan have already been carried out. The first one was to collect the entire necessary information about the European Council and its structures so as to decide on the necessary number of people for preparation of all forums and meetings. The second measure was to evaluate the existing administrative capacity vis-a-vis European affairs, and identify the main weaknesses and make recommendations. Buchvarova said that what has been done will be reported to the Council of Ministers every three months.

Trainings for upgrading the competences will be defined by the end of 2015, so as to have an adequate schedule of the training of the staff who will be in charge of preparing and coordinating the presidency. The current knowledge of the staff will be checked too, to take place by the end of 2015. The main players in the process will be the Institute for Public Administration and the Diplomatic Institute which will use funding from the Operational Programme Administrative Capacity.

The plan also includes gaining experience and expertise from other EU Member States who have held the EU Presidency or who are going to hold it. Buchvarova said the process has already started, with internships and working visits.