site.btaEU Challenges Call for Common Solutions, Says PM Radev After Meeting with European Council President

Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called for common solutions in the EU to the many challenges faced by the bloc. "We fully understand the ambition and the necessity for Europe to invest heavily in competitiveness, in the security and defence," Radev said, but noted that cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy should not be overlooked either.

The Prime Minister was speaking in English during joint statements with European Council President Antonio Costa after their meeting earlier in the day.

Radev is confident that the EU will find "a fair and balanced solution" while working on the next multiannual EU budget. He said Bulgaria does not want to see EU competitiveness aid widening the economic and technological gap between member states. He warned of "a risk that the money will flow mostly to the most developed countries."

"So we [Radev and Costa] discussed how the money could be fairly distributed so that countries like Bulgaria, even like Portugal can be taken on board and can take part in developing the big European industrial projects," the Prime Minister said.

He stressed the importance of achieving real cohesion in innovation, industry and digitalization.

Taking a reporter's question about whether Bulgaria favours a possible start of EU membership negotiations with Ukraine, Radev said: "The enlargement process is very important because we believe that enlargement is a strong investment in peace, security and stability. However, our national position is, and it has always been, that each nation should go forward based on its own merits and covering the criteria. It is both applicable for the Western Balkans and for Ukraine on the other hand."

Antonio Costa said about Radev: "He has a huge and very important experience in all the European affairs. This is not the first time that he came as a member of the European Council."

Costa noted: "Bulgaria is at the heart of the European Union. It is a member of the eurozone, a member of the Schengen area."

"And we need a stable Bulgaria, working with all the other 26 member states to bring and increase prosperity, to ensure peace in our region, to increase security, and we count with the Prime Minister Rumen Radev to deliver on this, and I'm very glad to see, to work with an old friend."