H.E. Mr. Branimir Zaimov:

Thank you, Chairman. Please allow me to start by thanking you for your invitation to speak to the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. It is a great honour for me to do so on the topic of the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

On 1 January, a little more than a decade after its accession to the European Union, Bulgaria took over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time. For my country, it is not only a great honour but also a great responsibility. During the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the period 1 January to 30 June the Republic of Bulgaria will strive in a positive spirit to achieve future-oriented realistic results, following the principles of transparency and accountability, and realise an open-to-all-citizens Presidency. Bulgaria will try to find a balance between the specific priorities of the member states and the strategic priorities of the European Union to achieve real, visible results in active dialogue with citizens on European issues and respond to their expectations for greater security, employment, sustainable growth and a stronger EU presence on the world stage.

The leading principle of the Bulgarian Presidency will be maintaining unity and solidarity among member states by offering compromise solutions within the Community method. The Bulgarian Presidency will work on youth and security issues as horizontal priorities, in view of the complex nature of the challenges facing young people and the contemporary security environment. Our goal is to respond to the real needs of European citizens and turn challenges into opportunities. Today Europe needs more security, solidarity and stability. To that end, we will work to secure a secure Europe because the migration crisis and the terrorist acts in recent years have shown how vulnerable we are; a stable Europe because citizens want to know that the European Union is taking care of their prosperity and well-being; and a Europe of solidarity because all member states are faced with the main challenges which can be overcome only through joint action, not at national or local level. How are we going to achieve this? We will achieve it through applying the 3 Cs - consensus, competitiveness and cohesion. We are convinced that they are fundamental for the future of Europe and to achieve them one will need courage, political vision and shared efforts.

The key to attaining our common goals is unity. It is not by chance that we chose "United We Stand Strong" as our slogan. It is the motto of our national assembly and on the coat of arms of the Republic of Bulgaria. It will be the slogan of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and which our country will follow in each action as the rotational President. We will work for unity between the member states, as well as between the European institutions. Tomorrow Europe will be what we make it today.

The Bulgarian Presidency will work in a transparent manner, be open to all European partners and, above all, all European citizens. Bulgaria will seek a broad consensus among the member states on issues of importance to the citizens of the European Union. As President of the Council of the European Union, the Republic of Bulgaria will work on building and implementing effective mechanisms for enhancing the security of EU citizens, strengthening border controls and managing more effectively migration processes. Achieving a sustainable migration management system and increasing the effectiveness of the return policy will be a top priority, the realisation of which will be pursued by enhancing dialogue with third countries.

In the field of security and combating crime and terrorism, the efforts of the Bulgarian Presidency will be aimed at improving the interoperability of EU information systems and databases; finalising work on the proposals to amend the legal framework for the functioning of the Schengen Information System; and laying the foundations for the effective implementation of the passenger names record directive.

One of our main priorities is the future of the western Balkans in the European Union. As the committee will be aware, the European Union has a clear interest in the stability, security and prosperity of the Western Balkans where its rules and values are respected. Delivering a tangible European perspective for all of the western Balkan countries, including dialogue based on the fulfilment of the conditions and principles of own merit, political will and decisive reforms by these countries, is key not only for the region but also for the European Union as a whole. The Republic of Bulgaria attaches great importance to deepening regional co-operation and developing good neighbourly relations. We share the importance of the so-called connectivity agenda - transport, communications, infrastructure and energy - with the understanding the aim is to improve the links with the Single Market. The potential initiative for digital connectivity which the Bulgarian Presidency plans to offer is a step by step adoption of roaming rules within the European Union by the western Balkan countries also, passing through a gradual reduction in roaming charges and an increase in broadband Internet access opportunities for these countries.

Bulgaria will be a balancing player and promote the competitiveness environment that is important for the economic prosperity of the citizens of the European Union. We will focus on the Digital Single Market as a source of growth and competitiveness in order to achieve a greater share of online service users and the rapid penetration of information and communications technologies across all sectors of the economy. The main aims of the Presidency will be the promotion of entrepreneurship and social innovation; economic and monetary union in the European Union; a sustainable and future-oriented environment; a stable European energy union and a reformed multiannual financial framework post-2020. Other aims include sustaining the cohesion policy after 2020. The Bulgarian Presidency will make an effort to have an open debate on the future of the cohesion policy and its role in the implementation of the European Union's priorities post-2020 in working to preserve its leading role in the EU budget post-2020.

Another aim is the simplification and modernisation of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP. In today's conditions of globalisation and growing core populations the role for agricultural production and rural development as an important economic, social and political factor is growing. It is of crucial importance for the future CAP parameters beyond 2020 to be defined in a way that will help to improve the sustainability of agricultural holdings and ensure stable levels of farmers' incomes. During the discussion on the future CAP the Bulgarian Presidency intends to place the emphasis on preserving the CAP budget and the instruments of the current CAP structure that have proved their effectiveness, including the single area payment scheme and coupled support, as well as on developing sustainable agricultural production in the context of environmental protection. Another aim is to have culture as a strategic resource for the better future of the European Union.

The four main priorities for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be, first, the future of Europe, its young people, economic growth and social cohesion. Economic growth and social cohesion are key to the future of Europe. There are many challenges, but we shall overcome them together. It is important that the member states' economies continue to grow and that all EU member states participate in the debate on the reform of the eurozone as equals, regardless of whether they are members of the latter.

The second priority is security and stability in a strong and united Europe. Security and migration policies are some of the topics on which we need consensus and to make joint efforts. The Bulgarian Presidency will work towards long lasting and fair solutions in the area of asylum policy, efficient policies for return and readmission and a balanced approach between short and long-term measures, aimed at the source of migration, not only the consequences thereof. That is why great emphasis in our efforts will be placed on security, whereby we will focus on strengthening border controls, the exchange of information between the various bodies and prevention.

The third priority will be the European perspective and connectivity of the western Balkans. The ambition of the Bulgarian Presidency is to achieve a clear action plan with each of the countries without creating unrealistic expectations but with concrete steps. That is the way to long lasting peace, security and prosperity in the region. The goal is to provide connectivity for the western Balkan countries through transport, air, energy, education and digital connectivity. Bulgaria invests consequent efforts in this direction by promoting the digital policies of the European Union among the countries in the western Balkans through the gradual reduction of roaming charges and increasing the possibilities for broadband Internet access.

The fourth priority is the digital economy and skills for the future. Europe's role in the rapidly developing world is directly linked with the competitiveness of the European economy. The Single Digital Market, access to innovation and the link between education and the requirements of the future labour market are the basis of technological development. It is not by chance that they are a major element of the programmes of the trio of Presidencies, Estonia-Bulgaria-Austria, and a priority of the Bulgarian Presidency. Electronic communication, the provision of transboundary services, particularly for the SMEs, copyright, e-privacy and cybersecurity are some of the items on the agenda that need to be decided on. Linking the education of young people with learning the skills of the future is the way to achieve a competitive, flexible and successful Europe.

On Brexit, I assure everybody here that the Bulgarian Presidency is aware that the topic will be of paramount importance during its Presidency. If I have not mentioned it previously in my statement it is only because the Presidency as such is not directly responsible for the ongoing negotiations with the United Kingdom. As the committee will be aware, the negotiations are due to move to the second phase during the Bulgarian Presidency. Bulgaria is well aware of the importance of the negotiations for Ireland and the whole of Europe. Members may rest assured that in my capacity as ambassador I have informed my government of Ireland's position and concerns which include that a hard border might not only have grave economic consequences but could also endanger the peace process in Northern Ireland and affect the island of Ireland as a whole. I am pleased to inform the committee also that during his visit to Sofia on 5 January the Taoiseach personally informed the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Mr. Borisov, of Irish concerns regarding the negotiations on Brexit. The Taoiseach and the Bulgarian Prime Minister agreed on the importance of continuing the second phase of the negotiations and promised mutual support in this endeavour. We are greatly encouraged by the fact that the person leading the negotiations for the European Union side, Mr. Michel Barnier, pledged his support for the Irish position during his visit to Ireland and before the committee, as well as during his recent visit to Bulgaria.

We are pleased to hear the same position reiterated by both European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. In this respect, please be assured the Bulgarian Presidency will do its part in assisting the negotiations in a most favourable way.

In conclusion I express my great satisfaction that as I mentioned, during his recent visit to Bulgaria on 5 January, the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, expressed his Government's support for the priorities set by the Bulgarian Presidency of the European Union. He stated he wished to support the priorities as set out by the Bulgarian Presidency and that Ireland will assist the Presidency in implementing these priorities. I am now happy to hear comments and I will try to answer any questions from members of the joint committee on our priorities. I thank members for their attention.