site.bta France to Support Bulgaria in Preparations for EU Presidency

France to Support Bulgaria in Preparations for EU Presidency

Paris, April 27 (BTA) - Bulgaria will cooperate with France on
the preparations for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of
the European Union in the second half of 2018, Deputy Prime
Minister for European Policy and Institutional Affairs Meglena
Kuneva and French Minister of state for European affairs Harlem
Desir agreed during a meeting here, Cabinet's Press Service
reported on Monday.

France is ready to accept Bulgarian ministerial employees on
internships at French ministries, it emerged from the meeting.
Minister Desir accepted an invitation to Bulgaria by the middle
of this year, so that he can open the trainings for the
Bulgarian administration. Kuneva and Desir also discussed the
topic of Bulgaria's Schengen accession, which according to the
Bulgarian Deputy PM, must not be tied to this country's progress
 in the field of justice and the fight against corruption.

The problem with the increasing migration flow towards Europe
was another matter discussed, along with the measures for
dealing with the situation in the Mediterranean, which were
adopted by the European Council last week. Kuneva said that
although the current focus is on maritime borders, the EU should
 not forget its external land border, such as Bulgaria, because
this country is also subjected to an increased migration
pressure.

Meglena Kuneva is on a two day working visit to Paris. Later on
Monday she will confer with the secretary general of the 2008
French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Claude
Blanchemaison, with whom she will discuss the technical
parameters of the cooperation regarding the Bulgarian EU
presidency.

On Tuesday Kuneva will confer with French Justice Minister
Christiane Taubira and visit "The Saga of the Thracian Kings"
exhibition at the Louvre.