site.btaDeputy Foreign Minister Kondov Represents Bulgaria at EU General Affairs Council Meeting

Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov represented Bulgaria at a regular meeting of the EU General Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Tuesday, Kondov's Ministry said in a press release.

Ministers continued preparations for the European Council meeting on June 27 and 28, discussed the rule of law in Hungary, and held a policy debate on the proposed directive on transparency of interest representation on behalf of third countries.

The June European Council will address Ukraine, the Middle East, security and defence, competitiveness, migration, Moldova, Georgia and Montenegro, and the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029. On the initiative of Bulgaria and Romania, EU leaders will also discuss how to build a EU strategic approach to the Black Sea

At the General Affairs Council, Bulgaria stressed the role of nuclear power in the climate transition, the need of financial support for Member States' defence industry and full integration of the internal market by lifting existing barriers.

Within the context of EU enlargement, Bulgaria recalled that the path of the Republic of North Macedonia to EU accession passes through honouring the commitments assumed and meeting the conditions set in the negotiating framework approved by the EU.

After the Council meeting, Kondov took part in the first EU-Ukraine and EU-Moldova Intergovernmental Conferences which set the beginning of the two countries' accession negotiations. In his statement, the Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister stressed his country's full support for the European perspective of Ukraine and Moldova and described as "historic" the launch of negotiations. "We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in its courageous struggle for independence, peace with honour, freedom and democracy," Kondov pointed out.