Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said Friday that the work towards Bulgaria's accession to Schengen was going very well so far and it was possible to meet the conditions set on Thursday by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte by December.
He noted that Rutte expects the European Commission to confirm that the recently adopted legal amendments in Bulgaria are in line with the recommendations of the EC report on the rule of law. “All this could develop in November-December, my interpretation is that we are on track,” Denkov told Bulgarian journalists on Friday in Brussels before the start of the second day of the European Council meeting.
“The real danger is not in the Netherlands, in the European Commission, but in the Bulgarian Parliament. We have to do our job, which has been going according to plan and very well. The real risk is if someone wants to reform the government, to leave the plan we are implementing,“ Denkov said.
The Prime Minister commented on President Rumen Radev's veto on the newly adopted texts of the Energy Act, arguing that there was no need to hold a session of the National Assembly on such a hot topic as energy supplies two days before the local elections. He added that the deadline for the veto override allows for this meeting to be done immediately after the second round of elections. The very fact that it is being rushed shows that this is an action related to the elections rather than a desire to find a solution, Denkov underlined.
He added that the fees for transporting Russian gas through Bulgaria are in line with the common EU policy according to the European institutions. Consultations are underway on whether something should be redefined in technical terms. “The point of these fees is to reduce the profits of the Russian war machine, to balance the gas market and to make pipeline gas prices comparable to liquid gas prices - the EU understands this and it is in line with European policies,” Denkov explained. The Prime Minister pointed out that this step by Bulgaria does not contradict the European sanctions against Russia.
He expressed understanding for the protests of the workers in Neftohim Burgas and pointed out that Bulgaria should be careful with the concessions from the EU ban on imports of Russian oil. “If the derogation is abruptly removed, we create huge risks for the people who could see much higher fuel prices if there is a shortage on the market, and for refinery workers,” he added. Denkov said he had insisted on a meeting with refinery workers to discuss how the problems look from their perspective.
Denkov stated that Bulgaria supports the increase in the EU budget contributions because the spending affects the issues of migration and the protection of external borders. He noted that the other option was to take funds from the cohesion and agriculture budgets, which Bulgaria would not want to be affected. “Our opinion is that it is better to collect additional funds from the states,” Denkov stressed. There is no danger for Bulgaria's accession to the euro area if the Bulgarian contribution to the common budget has to be increased, he pointed out.
/RY/
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