site.btaUPDATED EU Commissioner Gentiloni Meets with PM Denkov, Confirms EC's Full Support for Bulgaria's Schengen Accession

Visiting EU Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni expressed to Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov the European Commission's (EC) full support for Bulgaria's Schengen membership, as well as for its efforts to meet the crieria for joining the eurozone. The two held a meeting at the Council of Ministers on Thursday, the Government's press centre here said.

During the talks, they discussed issues related to judicial reform in Bulgaria, the fight against corruption and decarbonisation. The issues are key both for Bulgaria's overall integration into the European institutions and specifically for the implementation of its Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Prime Minister Denkov pointed out that the Government is working consistently on all key issues and solving serious problems that have been postponed for years - both in the rule of law and the fight against corruption, as well as in the energy sector. The Prime Minister noted that the Cabinet is acting in full line with the European Commission's expectations for progress and underlined that in the coming weeks the focus should be on the National Assembly, where important decisions are to be made. 

The EU Commissioner is paying a working visit to Bulgaria on Thursday and Friday to discuss with the Bulgarian authorities and interested parties the economic prospects of the EU and Bulgaria on the eve of 2024, the EC said.

On Thursday, Commissioner Gentiloni is also scheduled to confer with Finance Minister Assen Vassilev and the chairs and deputy chairs of the relevant parliamentary committees. He will also attend a roundtable discussion with business representatives. 

On Friday, Commissioner Gentiloni is to meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel, Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev and members of the Council for Economic Analyses.