Nickolay Mladenov: ‘Campaign in London against the expected “flood of Bulgarians and Romanians” is not consistent with the values of the EU’
01 February 2013 News
The type of speech being used in the campaign in the United Kingdom against a possible “flood of Bulgarians and Romanians” after January 1 2014 complies neither with the values nor the principles of the EU. This is especially valid for a country that is a leader in all international formats for the defence of human rights, Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov told journalists in Brussels.
There is no danger of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens “flooding” the UK after January 1 next year, he said, highlighting the example of Ireland, where after the local labour market was opened to Bulgarian citizens, the “flow” there increased by only 390 people.
As regards the requirements for restrictions on EU labour market access on Bulgarians and Romanians to be removed next year, Minister Mladenov said that this issue did not only affect the UK but represented the end of the transitional period agreed during the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU. “On this issue, there is no stepping back or stepping away from obligations under EU law,” he said. If an EU country wants to review its social welfare system if it is afraid that it could be misused, it may do so, but not in a way that would be discriminatory, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister said.
Minister Mladenov said that he had a detailed meeting with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague. They discussed the campaign as well as the issue of work permits for Bulgarian students, a matter that is expected to be resolved soon.
In Brussels, Minister Mladenov took part in a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Regarding the topics of today’s meeting, the minister said that everyone in the EU wanted a political solution to the crisis in Syria to be found. The real solution to the problems encompasses the preparation of a clear plan for transition, Bashar Assad stepping down from power, elections and national reconciliation. Minister Mladenov expressed concern about the growing signs that the conflict could spread beyond the borders of Syria.