site.btaUPDATED PM Denkov in European Parliament: "Our Aspiration Is Contemporary Bulgaria to Also Make Worthy Contribution to EU Development"

Speaking at the 12th plenary debate themed "This is Europe" here on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said: "Our aspiration is for contemporary Bulgaria to also make its worthy and substantial contribution to EU development". The debate was hosted by the European Parliament. 

In his speech, Denkov recalled Bulgaria's long history as one of the oldest countries in Europe. "In its recent history, Bulgaria has been subject to continuous attempts at domination, some of them successful, by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, these Great Russian appetites continue to this day, and our country is subject to targeted hybrid attacks," he said. "Putin's secret services and propaganda take advantage of our country's economic and raw resource ties with Russia, as well as the historical and cultural ties between our peoples, to divide and antagonize our society into Russophiles and Euro-Atlantic oriented people," he added.

In Denkov's words, Bulgaria's full EU and NATO membership is the biggest guarantee for the continuation of its democratic and European development path. "That is why we must complete our European integration by joining Schengen and the euro area," he added.

In his speech, Denkov also talked about the war in Ukraine, the renewed armed conflict in Gaza caused by Hamas' terrorist attack, the worrying situation in the Far East in light of North Korea's nuclear programme and the growing tension between China and Taiwan, the unstable situation in Africa where several countries experienced military coups and others are amid civil wars. According to Denkov, the EU cannot turn a blind eye to these geopolitical challenges. To deal with them, Europe must be strong, and to be strong, it must be united. In his words, a united and strong Europe must play a more active role in international relations, as an influential and strong mediator and guarantor of peace. At the same time, the EU must strengthen ties with its strategic NATO allies and bolster its defence capabilities in cooperation between countries within the Union, including giving careful consideration to the idea of creating a single European army.

Given the complex international environment, EU enlargement is of utmost importance. Denkov recalled that Bulgaria supports EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. 

Denkov called for a new EU strategy that clearly distinguishes refugees from wars from economic immigrants. The necessary balance must be found between solidarity and real opportunities, both for individual countries and for the EU as a whole.

Bulgaria has fulfilled all the requirements for its accession to the Schengen area and any further delay is unacceptable and demotivating for the country, the prime minister said.