Informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council
30 April 2024 News
Ambassador Rumen Alexandrov, Bulgaria’s Permanent Representative to the EU, took part in the informal meeting of the General Affairs Council, organised by the Belgian Presidency of the EU in Brussels on 30 April 2024. 20 years after the EU’s big enlargement on 1 May 2024, the EU Member States and the current EU candidate countries (the six Western Balkan countries, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Turkey) met in Brussels. In this extended format they discussed the rule of law in the candidate countries and agreed on its key importance for the accession process. The Permanent Representative Mr. Rumen Alexandrov stressed the importance for Bulgaria of the protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities and communities and the prevention of hate crimes and hate speech in the candidate countries.
In a format with only EU member states, ministers discussed the rule of law mechanisms in the EU and how they can remain effective in the event of future EU enlargement. Bulgaria gave a positive assessment of the existing EU instruments. Support closer association of candidate countries with European agencies and networks in the field of the rule of law. The EC will distribute its next Annual Report on the Rule of Law in the EU on 3 July 2024, and together with it will assess the situation in Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.
The ministers reviewed the work done so far on the preparation of a Roadmap for internal reforms in the EU, which the leaders will approve in June 2024. “In sensitive areas, incl. EU foreign policy, enlargement, EU budget, unanimity must be preserved. Consensus is a guarantee for the legitimacy of decisions and the commitment of Member States to them’, Ambassador Alexandrov pointed out.
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