site.btaPresident Plevneliev Tells EU Ambassadors that Brussels Should Play Leading Role in Deciding South Stream's Future

President Plevneliev Tells EU Ambassadors that Brussels Should Play Leading Role in Deciding South Stream's Future

Sofia, December 3 (BTA) - At a regular working meeting with the
Sofia ambassadors of EU countries on Wednesday, Bulgarian
President Rosen Plevneliev said that the European Commission
should play a leading role in deciding the future of the South
Stream natural gas pipeline project, the President's Press
Secretariat reported.

Plevneliev said that speeding up the building of natural gas
interconnectors between Bulgaria and its neighbours has become
particularly important for the country's energy security.

In 2015, the two watchwords for Bulgaria will be "stability" and
 "reforms," the President said. According to him, the justice
system reform is of primary importance. Other crucial reforms
should be made in the sectors of energy and security, he said,
adding that the public administration and the pension system
should also be upgraded as a matter of urgency.

The health care sector needs reforming, too, he went on to say.
Discussing education, Plevneliev recalled that the caretaker
government (August-October 2014) took major steps to improve the
 vocational education system, one of which concerned the
introduction of a dual education model combining academic
learning and apprenticeship.

Other matters on the agenda of the meeting included the
political situation in Bulgaria after the October 5 early
parliamentary elections, the country's partnership with the
Visegrad Group nations, opportunities to build South-North
transport and energy corridors, and the draft of the national
budget for 2015.

Looking at the proposed budget of the Defence Ministry, which
has complained of unreasonable spending cuts, Plevneliev said
that he is opposed to reducing public spending on defence in
2015.