site.btaDSB MEP Kanev: It Is Important Bulgaria to Be Active Participant in European Legislation

In an interview with the Bulgarian News Agency, Democrats for Strong Bulgaria / European People's Party MEP Radan Kanev said that it is important for Bulgarian citizens Bulgaria to be an active participant in European legislation. "Our work here is not diplomatic. We are not representing the country with some representative functions, to show how nice or well-dressed we are, but we are doing very heavy day-to-day legislative work, which requires systematic negotiations, forming different coalitions at party and national level," he said after the start of the first plenary session of the new European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday.

“Look where we have come to - something I warned about repeatedly when we saw the formula cracking before the rotation of the previous administration. We are now the only one of the 27 countries that is not involved in the debate on what happens to Europe from now on. We are not talking about who the Bulgarian Commissioner will be, what portfolio for this commissioner we will fight for, in the name of what priorities we will support or not support a given personnel decision,” the MEP said on the occasion of the political situation in Bulgaria.

The full transcript of the interview follows:

The plenary session of the new European Parliament started today [July 16]. What are your impressions of it? From the vote for the President of the European Parliament?

The vote for the President of the European Parliament was by the largest majority in the history of the European Parliament, which is, after all, a sign that the Parliament is much more united than it seems when we look at the number of groups and their relative weight. The big question for this European Parliament is whether it will be polarized, whether the sharp opposition that characterises politics in the United States will carry over into European politics in some particular European countries. The first answer is no. We can see that Mrs [Roberta] Metsola was supported by a very broad majority, practically by representatives of all the political forces except the extreme Left, which had its own candidate.

What are your impressions of your new colleagues? Have you met some of them yet?

I know most of the members of the Bulgarian delegation and I had the opportunity to see most of them in Brussels. Today we had the first formal, traditional meeting of the entire Bulgarian delegation that has been held for several mandates. So we can count on the fact that this good tradition, which is not present in all countries at all, but is rather specifically Bulgarian, will continue.

And did you have problems communicating with them? Is there anyone you wouldn't have a dialogue with?

It is very early to say. For me personally it is more than obvious that communication with colleagues from Vazrazhdane is difficult. Not on a personal level, but because of the gigantic political differences we have with each other, especially on the subject of European politics. There are certainly a few tests of trust to overcome, because the point of working in the national delegation is to have a sufficient level of trust between us. With new colleagues, we cannot have that automatically at this stage. However, I do think that it is possible, when there is a clearly defined national interest, for the whole delegation to work together, as has been the case in the past.

And what are your goals for this mandate?

I am still waiting to see which committees I will be a member of, because this is decisive for the priorities of the work. I have been assured that I will again be a member of the Environment Committee. However, I am also awaiting an answer on the Committee on Health and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, because this was the area where the elements of the platform, the promises, were made that got me elected preferentially. Namely, building on European environmental policy with a new industrial policy and strengthening common policies in European health. So the first very important test is whether I will be able, within the European People's Party, to fight for positions in these committees. And, of course, even if I do not, these priorities will remain, but there will be far fewer practical, political tools to impose them.

During your election campaign you met quite a large number of people from different cities in Bulgaria. What do they really need besides the healthcare you mentioned?

The topic of European healthcare was heard in every city of Bulgaria. Especially in the smaller towns, especially in the more isolated regions, it was a major topic. Naturally, the subject of security is on everyone's mind at the moment, as is the subject of industry and jobs. Once again, European industry is lagging behind in many areas compared with our main competitors. And secondly, when, God willing, soon there is a common force of European industrial policy, it should be such that the smaller countries, the more peripheral countries, benefit as much as possible, and there should be no division between rich and poor within the EU. I believe that Bulgarian industry has the strength to participate very actively in such a common policy.

From these meetings I guess you have understood what are the attitudes of most Bulgarian citizens towards the EU. Do you think that after the election results , there is a change?

No, I don't think there is a change. What is important for Bulgarian citizens is that Bulgaria is an active participant in European legislation. I think our citizens and businesses understand this, unfortunately, better than many politicians. That our work here is not diplomatic. We are not representing the country in some representative capacity, to show how nice or well-dressed we are, but we are doing very heavy day-to-day legislative work, which requires systematic negotiations, the formation of various coalitions, at party and national level. That is what is ultimately expected of us. Greater input, greater Bulgarian participation in the final legislative product of the European Parliament.

I can't help but bring you back to the political situation in Bulgaria. Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) are asking for a three-month delay [of the second government-forming mandate]. What is your opinion about this?

First of all, I would like to say that my opinion is very positive about the proposal to have a joint declaration of the political forces in the 50th Parliament on key priorities, which, at least in words, nobody disputes. Because this is a way of overcoming the deep critical distrust between the parties. After what happened in the previous parliament, with the failure of the rotation, with the breaking of an existing majority, trust has plummeted below zero, and with good reason. So now, if we want it to be at all possible to form governments in this Parliament, or in the next parliament, the most important thing is to start some kind of conversation among ourselves, and not immediately get into the next confrontation that inevitably accompanies election campaigns. This is essential, and this is where CC-DB has provided the key to how it can be achieved. A very important political proposal, a very important political move. From then on, whether there is one, two, three months - that is entirely in the hands of the President. I cannot predict his actions, but I urge the political parties in the 50th Parliament to make the effort to have a dialogue and to have this joint declaration. From then on, it is really up to the President when he hands over the mandate.

Given the recent events in the country and their inability to dialogue with each other, do you think the parties will be willing to do that at the moment?

Let's not make predictions. I hope that the politicians in Bulgaria are mature enough to understand that the next parliament may not have the same composition and exactly the same balance. But it will certainly not contain some obvious majority. The ability to form majorities between competitors is decisive for the country to be governed at all. Because look where we have come to - something I warned about repeatedly when we saw the formula cracking before the rotation of the previous government. We are now the only one of the 27 countries that is not involved in the debate about what happens to Europe from now on. We are not talking about who the Bulgarian Commissioner will be, what portfolio for that Commissioner we will fight for, what priorities we will or will not support in a personnel decision. We are the big absentee from this debate, not because we are small. Many smaller countries, Estonia is going to get the EU Foreign Minister, one of the smallest European countries, and we do not even seem to care who is going to represent us and what policy they are going to propose. That is terrible. Because this really is five years of European politics with an impact on every Bulgarian citizen.

Let me bring you back to the European Parliament building. On Thursday you have another vote [for European Commission president]. What do you think about it, about Ursula von der Leyen?

I am waiting with great interest for Ursula von der Leyen's speech at 9 am on Thursday morning. Because then she will have to put on the table the priorities that she has agreed with the parties and countries that support her. And then it will be possible to say whether she can expect a majority, and what kind of majority, in the European Parliament. I sincerely hope that her priorities will reflect the apparent right turn in public opinion in Europe, because otherwise I do not see how she will be elected. Europe does not need a period of instability. If von der Leyen is not elected on Thursday, there will be perhaps two months of political chaos, and in view of what is happening across the ocean with our main partner, the United States, I do not think we can afford that.

What would you say to the people who put their trust in you? What lies ahead and what do you hope to achieve together with the other Bulgarian MEPs?

Five years of very hard work lie ahead. Not only with the other MEPs, because we are 17 out of 720 and we are not defending the same ideas in every area. By building serious coalitions between different countries and between different parties in the European Parliament, the most important task for me is to make Europe economically and industrially competitive in the modern world.