site.btaVP Iotova Holds Talks with French Senate Vice President Herve, Senators

Vice President Iliana Iotova held talks with French Senate Vice President Loic Herve and other senators in Paris, the head of State's press service said on Tuesday. Bulgaria's accession to Schengen, the challenges facing the European Union on the eve of next year's European elections, the enlargement of the Union, and EU’s role in world politics were the main topics of Iotova's over an hour and a half-long conversation with Herve and the senators.

The Bulgarian Vice President thanked France for its support for Bulgaria's accession to Schengen.

Iotova expressed her disagreement with the Austrian proposal for a phased accession, which she described as “a manifestation of double standards”. She pointed out that the main migrant wave in Europe does not pass through Bulgaria and that other Member States are more affected by this problem. She pointed out that if the precedent of Bulgaria being admitted only for air travel were allowed to stand, it would contribute to deepening the existing problems in the Schengen area.

Iotova also thanked the French side for the French compromise on the issue regarding North Macedonia’s bid for EU accession, but expressed concern that it was not followed by any development on Norh Macedonia’s part. "Bulgaria does not set new conditions but insists that the agreements are implemented. There is also no progress on the commitment to list the Bulgarians in the [North Macedonian] Constitution. The Bulgarian position is firm on the issue of the real protection of the rights of the Macedonian Bulgarians", Iotova underlined.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, she said that Bulgaria is doing everything possible within NATO and the EU to pursue a policy that would prevent the expansion of the conflict in the Black Sea.

The unanimous opinion expressed at the talks was that the European Union is losing its leadership positions in the world. "It is difficult to form a common and firm foreign policy. We need people with a leadership mindset, ready to take responsibility and not to move by inertia," Iotova stressed.