Meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union
21 October 2025 News
Permanent Representative Ambassador Rumen Alexandrov represented Bulgaria at today’s regular meeting of the General Affairs Council, which was held in Luxembourg. The ministers discussed the draft conclusions of the upcoming European Council meeting on 23 October this year, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2028–2034, the packages for simplification of the EU legislation, the procedure against Hungary under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, as well as the creation of the European Democratic Shield.
In the context of the preparation of the upcoming European Council meeting, Bulgaria emphasized the importance of strengthening the competitiveness of the European economy by providing affordable energy, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and stimulating investment in innovation, green and digital technologies. In this regard, Bulgaria welcomes the efforts of the European Commission and the Council Presidency to introduce legislative measures aimed at reducing the administrative burden and simplifying the regulatory framework. In the area of climate policy, our country has insisted on a pragmatic and fair approach to the green transition and in setting the EU’s climate target for 2040, as well as on postponing the entry into force and revision of the new Emissions Trading System for Transport and Buildings (ETS2), in order to avoid excessive burdens on households and businesses.
In the discussion on the future MFF, Bulgaria also emphasized the need to ensure a balance between predictability and flexibility, ensuring that the future MFF provides sufficient resources for the EU’s key policies – cohesion, agriculture, competitiveness and security. Bulgaria emphasized the strategic importance of the EU’s eastern border, which should include the Black Sea regions and the need to address their specific challenges. The importance of the military mobility budget under the Connecting Europe Facility was further highlighted, given the growing importance of strengthening common defence capabilities. Regarding competitiveness, Bulgaria insisted that all member states and regions should have access to the new fund.
Bulgaria has expressed its readiness to actively participate in the establishment of the European Democratic Shield, an initiative aimed at countering disinformation, external interference and hybrid threats.
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