Deputy Minister Petko Doykov Presents Bulgaria’s Position on Proposals Relevant to the Recovery Plan and the MFF
15 July 2020 News
“It is important not to allow the pandemic to exacerbate existing differences in the economic development of Member States or create new divisions in the EU. Strengthening solidarity and cohesion is of extreme importance,” Deputy Foreign Minister Petko Doykov told his EU colleagues at the General Affairs Council held online on 15 July.
The German Presidency of the Council of the EU presented the priorities relevant to the operation of the EU for the next six months. The ministers also discussed the recovery plan and the revised proposal for the Union’s next MFF in the context of the coronavirus crisis. These topics will be discussed further at the upcoming meeting of the European Council slated for 17-18 July. The meeting’s objective will be to reach a final agreement on the package.
Deputy Minister Doykov highlighted that Bulgaria attaches great importance to the appropriate financing and the implementation of traditional policies, i.e. the cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy, because these will have an important role to play after the current crisis. “The cohesion policy remains the EU’s main investment instrument in support of growth, employment, competitiveness and convergence. The goal of long-term cohesion, which is enshrined in the founding treaties, remains valid and must be properly reflected in the Multiannual Financial Framework,” the Deputy Minister said. He called for the adoption of a more ambitious approach regarding the external convergence of direct payments. Deputy Minister Doykov went on to present other elements of Bulgaria’s position, summing up at the end of his statement that the proposal serves as a good foundation for future negotiations, and called for compromise on all sides, taking into account the importance of and need for an agreement on the Recovery Plan and the next MFF.
Petko Doykov congratulated Germany on the start of its 13th Presidency of the Council of the EU. He recalled that Bulgaria joined the EU when Germany last took over the Presidency, on 1 January 2007, a historic date for Bulgaria.
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