SPEECHES AND STATEMENTS

Statements made by President Rosen Plevneliev and Vice-president Margarita Popova at the News Conference on the Occasion of the End of the Third Year since they Took Office

President Rosen Plevneliev:

The first three years of our term in office were marked by considerably great challenges we have faced for the first time in our newest democratic history, namely: the most severe world economic and financial crisis we have been hit by in the past 80 years, and the most severe crisis in the EU since it was founded – states and banks went bankrupt, populism and nationalism gained momentum, fundamental EU values were called into question. In Bulgaria we went through a combination of crises, including a political, demographic, economic and social one, a wave of protests swept over Bulgaria and the world; a terror act was committed in our homeland; a so far unobserved strong migration pressure and the public trust in the institutions was lowest; the most serious confrontation and revenge between political leaders. 2014 was a year of political instability, an early general election was conducted, there was excess deficit, bank bankruptcy, EU funds were suspended, there were sanctions and a sharp deterioration of the EU-Russia relations, it was a year of heavy floods, accidents and disasters and a record number of crises on the planet after World War II. Global and regional threats have become a fact. They exist and multiply and they can be solved only if all democratic states pool efforts to this effect. Our generation is facing serious challenges related to peace, security, climate, natural disasters, the refugee wave, terrorism.   

The combination of a lot of different crises, both external and internal, led to instability in the country. The people, investors and markets are in a state of anxiety. Debts and deficits increase and investments are at unsatisfactory levels. The unreformed sectors siphon off the anyway scarce resources of reasonable investments in the country. In the last two months of 2014 we saw the political parties adopt a new approach – an approach based on dialogue, a comparison of positions and seeking consensus through principled agreements. After the early general election for the 43rd National Assembly, a coalition agreement, clear priorities, a humble tone and seeking consensus were demonstrated in parliament. It is important that such a constructive approach is upheld to provide the basis for a broad political support for reforms and actions that promote the public interest. Hopefully the crisis of fierce political confrontation in the past two years, in which five governments and three National Assemblies were replaced, is already over, and the parties have become wiser and have adopted a new approach. The first symptoms are already evident.

It is high time that we showed that Bulgarian democracy has become mature for principled and functioning coalitions. Seeking a compromise is neither a weakness nor a lack of principles – on the contrary, it is now when there are eight parties and coalitions in parliament that the political forces should lay emphasis on their ability to reach a consensus.

I would like to encourage the government and parliament to launch without delay the necessary reforms. To me, it is beyond doubt that a broad political consensus on reforms is necessary in order to achieve a stable result. Therefore I proposed that the Consultative Council for National Security held on 17 June 2014 should adopt a declaration on a broad political consensus on reforms. We have the rare chance to go ahead with reforms which are important for the public such as those aimed at a functioning and fair judiciary, and those carried out in the sectors of healthcare, energy, education, civil service, water supply, security, the pension system, and in other sectors. The year 2013 was the year of civic energy, 2014 – a year of increased instability. I will work so as to ensure that 2015 is the year of reforms.

The President has a loud voice, he can set the direction – this is how I have been acting since the beginning of my term in office. We set reasonable priorities in the energy sector, related to innovations and a modern infrastructure, to introducing long-term planning in the state, and others. We set the direction for the country’s development by launching the National Programme for Development “Bulgaria 2020.” Five governments have been already working under it and the President’s Office has ensured continuity on this strategic document. We set the direction for active integration and interoperability of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and NATO, by developing the National Programme “Bulgaria in NATO and European Defense - 2020.” We set the direction for continuing the reform in the Bulgarian justice, energy sector, Security sector and others.

As President, I seek consensus and continuity on the national goals, strategies, programs and reforms. I work to ensure that the national priorities are over and above the usual political confrontation. An illustration of this approach is the full consensus reached on the priorities in the National Programme for Development “Bulgaria 2020” at the Consultative Council for National Security held in February, where we set the strategic framework for the development of the country. Today Bulgaria for the first time in the transition years has its long-term plan and clear priorities, approved by consensus. The Partnership Agreement with the European Commission up to 2020 is also the result of a public consensus and has come into force. The implementation of the agreement in the following years requires national consensus, continuity and a strong political will to conduct the reforms planned in it.  

We set new reasonable priorities in the energy sector – energy diversification, energy efficiency, energy liberalization. We placed innovations on the agenda of the state. Key projects which I supported and which managed to unlock and stimulate the potential for innovations in the country are: the first innovation eco-system Sofia Tech Park and the new “Innovation and competitiveness” and “Science and Education for Smart Growth” operational programmes. The idea for a special operational programme in support of science and education emerged at the first council held in the President’s Office in 2012. I am proud that the idea was implemented.

I work holding a dialogue with civil society. I serve the people, not party elites. Therefore we set up public councils, a civil board, an election board, an energy board, and we held open debates with the citizens. I defend a principled position on important cases concerning domestic and foreign-policy issues, for instance – the Ukrainian crisis, South Stream, the assessment of the communist regime in Bulgaria, the communist-era State Security agents and other issues. We challenged the oligarchy not only by introducing rules for the management of state funds, but also by adopting a principled position on the attempted appointment of a media mogul as director of the State Agency for National Security.            

I work as President not of a given party, but as President of the people. I supported the fair demands of the civil society. The public asked the question “Who?” I withdrew my trust from the power holders and named those to be held responsible for the behind-the-scene arrangements. Although the Head of State is a unifier, this does not mean that he should be a passive observer and diplomatically avoid the problems, scandalous acts and crises in the country. As President I take a position, I identify the problems because they can be resolved only if they are named. I act without any emotions and pragmatically despite the attacks against me. I am interested not in winning battles but in doing a large amount of serious work to the benefit of the state. I said I did not insist on being a powerful president, but a president who serves the public interest.

I initiated a referendum for changing the election rules, in support of direct democracy. I would like to have the people’s voice heard, not their vote bought. In a mere couple of weeks a civil initiative committee collected over 570,000 signatures. Unfortunately, the power holders in the 42nd National Assembly pretended that neither the people nor the referendum existed. I will continue and bring to a successful end my initiative for a national referendum.

Democracy is a process, not an aim. We should actively hold onto our values. We should support modern patriotism and humanism in opposition to misinterpreted nationalism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, the language of hate and populism that is gaining ground. For the first time the Bulgaria Head of State gathered the representatives of the major religious denominations, including the Bulgarian Patriarch, at a solemn Iftar  dinner as a symbol of tolerance, ethnic peace and integration in the Bulgarian society. We show a responsible attitude to the challenges of the migration pressure from people fleeing from the evils of war and terrorism. In 2014 Bulgaria was struck by heavy floods, torrents, disasters and accidents. Thousands of families lost their homes, the harvest suffered, innocent people died. The Bulgarian is merciful and compassionate – 2014 set a record not only in natural disasters, but also in the number of contributors and volunteers.

In order to end the replaced and the real transition that started 25 years ago we should place communism and State Security in the textbooks and the museums in an objective manner. We should unite around the truth about communism – its good and bad aspects so that we can feel relieved and go ahead. We must close the “Bulgarian transition” chapter in a dignified manner, before we open a new chapter. It is precisely to this effect that I launched the idea for building a museum “The Bulgarian 20th Century” and conducted the “25 years free Bulgaria” initiative.

In the past year I had an extremely active foreign-policy program – 28 visits in total. I voiced the Bulgarian position in different international forums – bilateral, regional, European, global. For the first time a Bulgarian Head of State was invited to participate three times within the week of the UN and deliver speeches from the highest rostrum of the planet – at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, at the Summit on Climate Changes at the invitation of Secretary General Ban Ki-mun and at the general debate of the UN Security Council, at the invitation of President Barack Obama.

The Ukrainian crisis is the most serious threat to post-World War II Europe. The security environment in Southeast Europe radically changed in 2014. Today attempts are made to replace the rule of law with the rule of interests. This is extremely dangerous and the democratic world should make a firm stand against it. Through my international visits and the interviews I gave I assisted the adoption of a common European position on the Ukrainian crisis. Although the annexation of Crimea was inconceivable, it took place as a clear demonstration of a coercive and illegal redrawing of borders. I defend an adamant and principled position on the Russian aggression in Crimea and the necessity for all, including Russia, to obey the international legal order.

In a statement I made I pointed out that Europe’s history can be divided in a pre- and post-Crimea period. A serious danger exists of permanently restoring in the world the 19th century policy of Great Powers and the surrounding periphery. These are topics that determine our future – whether we will be in the “periphery” or the “heart” of the European integration processes, whether the Balkans as our common home will continue to follow their course toward a peaceful and democratic development or they will also be permanently destabilized. I firmly oppose the idea of a “two-track Europe” and the idea launched by Russia of the policy of the Great Powers, which have their perpetual interests and decide the fate of the small countries and those in the periphery. As President, I work to ensure a stronger and more integrated European Union, which is also the only chance for each member state to be a factor on the global arena. Bulgaria can and must add value to the European Union, moreover in a decisive moment and not silently sit in the corner or play the role of someone’s Trojan horse.

We enhanced the mutual trust of NATO partners. The “Bulgaria in NATO and European Defense 2020” program undoubtedly played its role to this effect. The foundations were laid for introducing the project management for the first time in the defense projects, moreover in combination with long-term planning. Such an approach must be supported. The Center for competence in research, building and improving the NATO capabilities for crises management and disaster response started functioning. We were well-prepared for the NATO summit in Wales held on 4 and 5 September, where we adopted a Readiness Action Plan related to the crisis in Ukraine. I would like Bulgaria to be not a passive, but an active NATO member, to have a clear position and priorities. NATO membership not only ensures security, but also requires building a modern and well-equipped army. The greatest danger Bulgarian Armed Forces are facing is systematic underfunding – this trend should be stopped.  

The election of Kristalina Georgieva for deputy-president of the new European Commission in charge of budget and human resources is an undeniable success of the Bulgarian nominee and diplomacy. This is the highest and most responsible position held by a Bulgarian in the European Commission.

On 25 May elections for members of European Parliament were held at which 400 million Europeans had the chance to vote. This has been the most large-scale democratic event in European history so far. These elections reminded us that Euroskepticism, the anti-European rhetoric and apathy are a great threat not only to European integration, but also to democracy on a national level. We would like to have the time of the Iron Curtain and isolated countries remain in the past forever. Today Bulgaria is part of the modern world of the enormous European common market.  Bulgaria’s EU membership brings human freedom and prospects. Our common European Union today more than ever before needs support and trust so that we can counteract the rising populism and nationalism.

At the general election for the 42nd National Assembly our compatriots voted in more than 60 countries in the world, a small, but free and global nation. In 2014 all restrictions Bulgarians had to travel, live, study and work freely in the European Union were lifted.

Bulgaria is an insurmountable factor in Southeast Europe. The Balkans are changing, the free movement of people, goods and services stimulates business, cultural exchange, creates new regional partnerships and friendships. Today there are no more walls and barriers in the Balkans and in Europe. Although we are free, do we really know how to use our freedom? We must be active, ambitious and ensure our worthy place in the region.

In 2014 I appointed the fourth caretaker government since the beginning of the democratic transition. This is the second caretaker government which I have appointed in the past two years and which unfortunately is a clear sign of the political instability we have to overcome.

In 2013 and 2014 we witnessed an acute political crisis, extreme instability, spirit of revenge, unprincipled confrontation, a record low public trust in Plamen Oresharski’s government and the 42nd National Assembly, symbol of which were the fences put up in front of parliament and the longest-running protests in Bulgaria’s recent history. The situation in the state before professor Bliznashki’s caretaker government took office was characterized by suspended EU funds, payments to construction workers and municipalities which had not been settled, a deliberately misconceived budget for 2014, crises in the financial sector, energy sector, healthcare, not well functioning revenue agencies, low trust of the partners and international isolation.

The two caretaker governments calmed down the nation at a difficult moment and set the correct direction to bottom out of the crisis. They performed their tasks in a worthy manner. They completed the transition from the 41st, through the 42nd and to the 43rd National Assembly in a period of hardship for the nation. They enjoyed the trust of the people and the Euro-Atlantic partners. The caretaker governments did their job in a transparent manner and as early as the first working day their priorities and tasks were made public. We sought and secured continuity – for instance, in the management of EU funds, the rules for the state money or the strategy on continuing the reform in the judiciary.

I have always considered the caretaker government not only a necessity, but also an opportunity to make considerable steps in order to implement important state priorities. The caretaker government completed the work on the Partnership Agreement with the European Commission, developed the Programme “Bulgaria in NATO and European Defense 2020” and the strategy on continuing the reform in the justice sector, set up the energy board.

In 2014 the 42nd National Assembly went down in history slightly over a year after it was constituted. At the time of an acute crisis the trust in the presidential institution performed its important role in seeking dialogue and nationally-responsible solutions. A lot of consultations in all possible formats were held and I thus demonstrated my ambition to seek solutions and consensus.

In June I held consultations related to the critical situation in one Bulgarian bank. We acted promptly, decisively and efficiently. We agreed that macroeconomic stability and preserving the currency board until Bulgaria enters the euro-zone are a must. We clearly said that the rate of exchange of the lev will not be changed until Bulgaria enters the euro-zone. We decisively supported the bank stability in the country. As a result the people calmed down and the situation promptly became normal. In the days when the crisis in Corporate Commercial Bank was in its peak, we realized what a brave decision Marin Raykov’s caretaker government made to introduce rules for diversification of the risk and transparency in the management of the state money. The result today is that more that one billion leva of the state money were saved despite the bankruptcy of the bank under special supervision. I said that if the truth about CCB is covered up, Bulgaria’s replaced transition will continue for quite some time in the future. Light should be shed on the whole CCB model – model of controlling the state money, public procurements, media, politicians and institutions. The CCB model should be broken up, not reproduced again.

Although the Bulgarian banking system is stable and enjoys a high liquidity rate, the events that unfolded in the past year showed that we should join the Single Supervisory Mechanism as a first step toward joining the banking union. I initiated consultations and ensured overwhelming political consensus on this new national priority.

The second caretaker government made the long-awaited decision on the ownership of the “St. Alexander Nevsky” patriarchal temple. The act of granting the ownership to the temple was considered a historical act for the relations between the state and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. We conducted a lot of patriotic initiatives of extreme importance for the nation, such as the national campaign for marking 1,000 years of the death of Tsar Samuil. The visit to the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessalonica, where the mortal remains of Tsar Samuil were exhibited for the first time to pay tribute to and lay a wreath, is proof of efficient diplomacy which defends the national interest and European approach to history. We should develop such relations also with Skopje.

We asked the fair question – how should we ensure that the energy sector works to serve the interests of the country and the people, not those of a group of lobbyists. For the first time all people involved – producers, distributors, traders and consumers together sought a solution. The energy board was an innovative and efficient idea for a sincere debate in the energy sector, which I hope will be further developed.

We achieved an important result regarding Bulgaria’s energy diversification. The first sod of the South Gas Corridor in Baku turned on 20 September 2014, which I had the honor to attend, and also the signed agreement on the purchase of one billion cubic meters Azeri gas from 2019 onwards, is undoubtedly of strategic importance for Bulgaria. We are working to build the gas interconnectors with Greece, Turkey, Serbia and Romania, as well as to develop our own gas deposits in the Black Sea. The national programme on energy efficiency has finally become a priority.

Bulgaria is modernizing – a subway, highways, waste-treatment stations, waste depots, regional roads, thousands of state and municipal projects are implemented. We have speeded up our work on the implementation and negotiation of the strategic infrastructure projects up to 2020. The Bulgarian agriculture and food production are dynamically developing. In 2015 we should pool efforts to complete in a worthy manner the old program period and extensively utilize the money it provides and also to launch as many projects as possible from the new one.

I am working with a fifth government in a row. It became clear that no behind-the-scene arrangements are made and coalition formulae are outlined in the President’s Office, nor will such things happen. I show an open and correct attitude to the governments – although I support the good decisions, I also pinpoint the mistakes. I do not enter the spiral of political confrontation, I do not wage wars, I impose a veto on the basis of well-grounded arguments, I do not abuse with the powers the constitution has given me, I seek solutions and a dialogue with all. This is how I understand my role of a unifier.

The President is a symbol of traditions and building up, not of the spirit of revenge. I did not utter a bad word or level unprincipled criticism to the former power holders. I supported and further developed the good ideas. We continued and built on long-year initiatives of the Presidential institution such as “the Bulgarian Christmas,” “Support a dream,” “Mobile reception room of the president” and the John Atanasoff award. We also further developed the initiative launched in the first year of the term in office such as “Month of political consultations,” “Day of open doors,” “Youth vision for the development of Bulgaria,” and “the council of presidents.” I supported and encouraged a lot of initiatives related to contributors, volunteers and responsible parents.  

To me, the real hero of the past year is the Bulgarian civil society. It showed that is has far exceeded the level of the political class and has become extremely sensitive to everything unfair and behind-the-scene arrangements. The civil society in Bulgaria is the real guarantee of the European democratic development of the country and I will continue to support it by all means.

In the past three years I showed that I can bear my constitutional responsibilities, moreover in a critical and unpredictable environment of large-scale protests and a combination of domestic and international crises. I will further continue to fulfill my constitutional commitments, to hear the voice of the people and support the civil society in its fair demands.

I believe that democracy, the European development and the modernization of Bulgaria have no alternative!

Thank you!

Vice-president Margarita Popova:

I will make a brief review of the activity of the Asylum and Citizenship Commissions so that you will have enough time to ask questions. Let us start with some brief statistics which the Asylum Commission provided and which I summarized together with it. I suggest that these statistics should not be an end in itself and presented only for the year 2014 but presented in comparison with 2012 onwards and even where citizenship is involved, for a longer five-year period, so that a trend can be highlighted.

In the current year under review 2014, we worked on the dossiers of 32 citizens, who submitted their requests to the Asylum Commission and sought asylum. These citizens come from Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, people who have no citizenship, Ukraine, Algeria, Morocco, Vietnam, France and Iraq. By way of comparison, in 2013 the commission worked on asylum requests submitted by 25 people, and in 2012 the requests were 19. Over the past three years, asylum has been granted to one person in 2013. Eight refusals of asylums were made to 21 people in 2013. No legal proceedings were instituted on three of the requests since the submitted data were not referred to the institute of the asylum. The legal proceedings on the requests submitted by 10 citizens were suspended because their status had to be considered by the State Agency for Refugees. We have established a very good coordination and cooperation with the State Agency for Refugees, where decisions on the status of these citizens were promptly made.

 In 2015 we will continue working on the requests of 11 citizens and on requests which will additionally be submitted. I have no doubt that this will be so since I follow the issues related to migration, to the refugees, to the flows of people that leave their hometowns and seek protection where they feel safe and calm.

Regarding the work of the Pardons Commission I would like to say that in three years – 2012, 2013 and 2014, a total of 13 citizens sentenced to prison were granted pardon, and in 2012 one pardon decree was granted to one citizen, while in 2013 eight decrees were granted to eight citizens. In 2014 four pardon decrees were issued, the reasons for which in two cases were a good correction process and in the other two – very good characteristics of an initial correction process. Therefore we have made the decision to encourage this correction process, as well as the work of the social-assistance workers and the people who work in prisons. Because, as we have discussed these issues other times as well, the integration, the recovery, the re-education of those in prison practically is a bilateral process. In the Pardons Commission we also take into account the processes the imprisoned citizens are involved in, and also the hard work the people working in the prisons, such as social-assistance workers, guards and others do.

As for the Commission on Granting Citizenship, on acquiring citizenship, on withdrawing and restoring Bulgarian citizenship, I would like to provide the following brief information, which is uploaded on the website in greater details. What is the trend we observe in 2014? The total number of people who have changed their citizenship is 5,999 and compared to 2013 it has declined – in 2013 their number was 7,954. We have applied the procedure of restoring the Bulgarian citizenship in 389 cases and compared to 2013, their number has increased by 211 people in the reviewed period – 2014. The good news is that the Bulgarians who renounced their Bulgarian citizenship are fewer compared to 2013 – then they were 238, while in 2014 they were 155.

I would like to provide interesting information about the process and institute of revoking Bulgarian citizenship, denaturalization. 26 people by virtue of eight decrees were denaturalized in 2014. This fact raises concern because the reasons that have been submitted by the Citizenship Council and which we have totally taken for granted, were related to presenting false documents, to concealing information and to registration under the system for entry and not allowing entry in the Schengen zone. On the whole, these are facts and circumstances related not only to the national, but also to European security.

With respect to citizenship I would like to say that in 2014, we worked on a project together with the Konrad Adenauer foundation and reported on how people got involved in the processes related to granting Bulgarian citizenship in the period 2010 – the first half of 2014. Interesting trends are observed. We have the ambition to add the information, to prepare a general report on the five-year period 2010-2014 and in a spirit of well-intended cooperation to submit it to the Justice Ministry, practically to the Bulgarian Citizenship Council, so that they can use it if we finally decide to start work on a new concept of Bulgarian citizenship, which I insist on and I think it is high time to do. Simply we have to start work on a genuine, modern and our own national concept of Bulgarian citizenship.

Interesting are the findings we established for the 2010 - first half of 2014 period. It turned out that very few people, between 10 and 23 percent, stayed in Bulgaria. Practically their number varies in the 2010 – 2014 period from 14,000 to the last number I mentioned 5,999. It turns out that Bulgarian citizenship is granted, yet the greater part of those who have acquired citizenship do not stay and live in Bulgaria, but they go somewhere else.

This fact raises a lot of questions and it would really be very useful if we start a cautious, consistent and not rash work on developing our national concept of Bulgarian citizenship.

The other thing I would like to tell you is related to my expectations for 2015. What should the focus of our attention be? The first thing is that we will not be able to avoid the concerns and dynamics of our daily routine not only on national, but also on the international and global level. Therefore I think that it is high time that our politicians and power holders paid serious attention to the social issues, what the situation of the big part of the Bulgarian people is. The people live in poverty and have a lot of problems. I would like all state authorities to clearly show their sensitivity to social issues in 2015. Let us feel the pulse of time and lend an ear to the people and before that tell them why Bulgaria is the poorest EU member state after a 25-year transition period. The people are asking why. However, there is no answer.

The second issue which I think we will address in greater details and with greater concern in 2015 is the careful consideration of the growing number of risks to security. And in the context of the still unclear architecture of the Bulgarian national security, this will be a problem which I think both the executive branch of power, namely the Security Council at the Council of Ministers and the council at the President’s Office will have to address, because these issues will be commented and debated possibly in the concept of the Council on National Security.
 
Regarding the risks to national security I think that in 2015 we will focus on the work on integrating the refugees and those who acquire a refugee status on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. You know that the former regular government developed a comprehensive strategy on integrating refugees. Issues of structural nature were raised in this strategy. A Council on integration was formed, which is currently focused, structured at the Social Ministry. However, since the integration issues concern not only the Social Ministry, but also the Healthcare Ministry and the Education Ministry, a lot of central agencies, a lot of regional agencies, the mayors and municipalities, we will have to consider where the most appropriate place of the Council on integration is, which should start this integration process. Because after the State Agency for Refugees granted status to the people that needed it, the more difficult process is yet to start – the integration of the people who have sought and been granted a refugee status. This is related above all to the opportunity to learn Bulgarian so that these people can have access to education, to social assistance, to healthcare, to recognizing their qualification, for which they will face a lot of difficulties. The Council on Integration should examine what steps and procedures all structures should go through – from the central to the local level, because the procedures described in this quite comprehensive and in my opinion good strategy are related to signing individual agreements between those who have been granted asylum and those who need integration, and those under age are excluded from the agreement. The care for them is particularly great. Therefore just as we managed to pool efforts and accept the first waves of legal immigrants, to grant a humanitarian or refugee status, we will again pool efforts and the state will show that it can have the will to cope with the problem. I would also like to mention the so important to us European solidarity, which should know why it is named so, because we are speaking of solidarity while practically Bulgaria receives nothing.

For over ten years we have been talking of a common policy, and of granting asylum. So far no such clear model has been offered and when Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy, Greece and Malta raise the issue that it is necessary to find the good model for integration and welcoming people who need protection, European solidarity seems to retreat and disappear. We need real European solidarity and to find the formula to establish how many refugees each country can accept in order to ensure their integration. It is not important only to accept these people. It is important to give shelter to these people so that they can start living as Bulgarian citizens.

I will not dwell on the question of illegal migration. I an firmly convinced that our country, more particularly the executive branch of power, will have to take all measures, in which all ministries should take part, so that the opportunities for the inflow of illegal immigrants can be restricted and reduced to minimum, which is one of the risks for national security.
 
And finally I would like to share with you the issue on which we have to work and pay attention to in 2015, the fact that the European Commission, the President of the European Commission said that there will be no enlargement in the next five years. In the Balkans we have neighbors who are waiting and are doing their best to join the EU. This fact raises concern in me and I would like Serbia and Macedonia, when they meet the criteria, to join the EU. Unfortunately the information was quite discouraging and this assigns us tasks which we have to perform not only at home, but also on the international level, in terms of bilateral and international cooperation. We should not merely rely on the self-confidence that the EU map and our EU membership offers us.

We should always keep in mind the opportunity for bilateral contacts. This is also valid for the difficult migration issues. We need to work on the state level. We cannot just wait for everything to come only from the European Union, and what it can offer as a project at this stage is that in domestic and international terms we should show initiative and through different formulae we should reflect and resolve these problems.

Thank you!