General Affairs Council meeting
18 November 2025 News
The ministers for European affairs met today in Brussels for the regular monthly meeting of the General Affairs Council. Bulgaria was represented by its Permanent Representative to the EU, Ambassador Rumen Alexandrov. The agenda included preparations for the December European Council, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), EU–UK relations, the European Commission’s legislative planning, and the annual Rule of Law dialogue.
The ministers discussed the proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2028–2034, with a focus on national and regional partnership plans. Bulgaria underlined the need to preserve Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy so that they continue contributing to their objectives in line with the EU Treaties. It expressed reservations about the proposal to merge these two key policies, together with other priorities, into a single national plan. Ambassador Alexandrov stressed that the next MFF should take into account the specific challenges faced by the EU’s eastern regions, including the Black Sea regions. The importance of simplifying and reducing administrative burdens for citizens and businesses when using EU funds was also highlighted.
In relation to the Enlargement Package presented by the European Commission, which contains the annual progress reports on EU candidate countries and in view of the upcoming EU–Western Balkans Summit on 17 December 2025, Ambassador Alexandrov emphasized Bulgaria’s continued support for EU enlargement, based on own merits and the established methodology of the process. He called for the Council conclusions to objectively reflect the uneven progress of the countries involved in the enlargement process.
The European Commission presented its 2026 legislative programme, addressing current and future challenges stemming from security and democratic threats, geopolitical tensions, economic risks, and climate change.
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