site.btaDeputy Foreign Minister Shekerletova Attends General Affairs Council in Brussels

Deputy Foreign Minister Elena Shekerletova took part in the regular monthly sitting of the EU's General Affairs Council in Brussels on Tuesday, her ministry said in a press release Wednesday. On the agenda was a request by Spain to include Catalan, Basque and Galician in Regulation No 1/1958, which governs the EU's language regime, the European Commission's legislative programme, the Council’s annual rule of law dialogue, and the preparations for the European Council meeting on October 26 and 27, 2023.

The General Affairs Council adopted without discussion a decision on the appointment of Iliana Ivanova European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. That was the last step before the Bulgarian Commissioner's entry into office.

The EU ministers began the preparations for the European Council meeting in October. The main topics on the agenda will be the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the mid-term revision of the current Multiannual Financial Framework, the economic situation, and migration. In her speech, Minister Shekerletova noted the worsening security environment in the Black Sea as a result of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and called on the EU to follow the matter closely.

The General Affairs Council held a horizontal discussion on the European Commission’s rule of law report published on July 5, 2023. The Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister thanked the Commission for the good cooperation under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Bulgaria, closed by the Commission on September 15, 2023. She declared Bulgaria's readiness to continue the fruitful cooperation with the Commission and the other Member States under the annual rule of law dialogue, within which the progress of all Member States is monitored.

Within the discussion on the EU's legislative programme for 2024, Shekerletova backed the priorities presented and expressed the expectation that Bulgaria and Romania will be welcomed in the Schengen area without further delay.

The Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister informed the Council about the floods that caused damages along the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast in early September. The Bulgarian authorities are in the process of assessing the damages, she noted and expressed gratitude to the European Commission for the assistance provided through the Copernicus satellite system.