site.btaJune 15, 2004: Bulgaria Concludes EU Accession Talks

Bulgaria concluded its accession negotiations with the European Union 20 years ago, on June 15, 2004, when the last of 31 negotiating chapters of the acquis were closed. The accession talks took about three and half years and were completed six months ahead of schedule.

Following is a story in BTA's English-language Daily News:

PM Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Says Completion of Talks Means Bulgaria Lives and Works by EU Rules 

Sofia, June 15, 2004 (BTA) - Bulgaria has completed its accession negotiations with the European Union, Deputy Prime Minister Plamen Panayotov said at a formal meeting of the Council for European Integration at the Council of Ministers. The meeting was attended by ministers and diplomats of EU Member States.

In his address to the participants, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburggotski said Bulgaria is completing a long stretch of the road towards EU membership. The conclusion of the negotiations means that, to a large extent, Bulgaria lives and works by the rules and with the responsibilities of the Member States, the Prime Minister said.

In his words, the real worth of the negotiations is measured by the outcome of the country's reforms in recent years. Their effect is obvious and tangible, both in the increase of peoples' incomes and in economic security and upswing, he said.

The closure of the negotiating chapters does not bring to an end either the negotiations or work on the real life with the EU. From now on, the Bulgarian society will live by the European laws and rules, and this should apply to all citizens, said Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

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PM Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Calls Conclusion of Negotiations with EU "Great Victory"

Sofia, June 15, 2004 (BTA) - Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha assessed the conclusion of the negotiations on Bulgaria's EU accession as a great victory. "I believe that few people in the general public understand what efforts have been made and, of course, there are more to come, but this really is a great victory. I must tell you that I am very happy," Saxe-Coburg-Gotha told reporters. The Prime Minister opened the 2nd Regional Meeting for Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.