Over the period 1 July – 31 December 2018 Bulgaria will, for the first time, take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. The country will play an active role in forging European legislation, in formulating priorities and in guaranteeing continuity of the EU agenda, as well as representing the interests of the member countries.

To compensate for the absence of continuity in the work of individual countries, when the Lisbon Treaty entered into force a triple-shared presidency was established which drafts a general 18-month programme. Before Bulgaria, the “trio” included Great Britain and Estonia.

For Bulgaria, the four principal spheres in which the country will formulate detailed priorities and set down legislative dossiers are: “EU – A union of jobs, growth and competitiveness”, “Migration and security”, “Efficient energy union and climate policy” and “EU on the world arena”.

“The proposals we made will now be discussed by the “trio”, of which we are a member,” said Meglena Kuneva, national coordinator of the country’s presidency in an interview for Radio Bulgaria. “We shall have to wait until the time when we shall be able to announce what the priorities are, on behalf of the three countries. The “trio” will make the general proposal – the first Great Britain – Estonia – Bulgaria meeting has already taken place in Sofia. The programme structure and the deadlines will be set down by July, after consultations with the Council General Secretariat. By the end of the year the teams from the three countries will finalize the draft of the general programme, including the legislative dossiers and the events the presidencies will be working on. The priorities are selected out of the ten priorities of the European Commission and the European Parliament, to which the Council has agreed.”

In the words of Meglena Kuneva, Bulgaria is well positioned in all four spheres the country has proposed.

“I don’t think that power generation which is very important to Bulgaria because we are dependent in terms of energy, is any more important than giving entrepreneurs a chance to start high-tech businesses. If we have both, Bulgaria could have more added value to its GDP. That is what 21st century economics is all about. This is something that goes with a painful social cost – for the people leaving the country, for salaries, it is in this that a natural business solution could be found. Security, protecting our borders, climate change are all issues within the sphere of Bulgaria’s interests. I would also like to make mention of the cohesion policy that involves the philosophy of a multiannual financial framework - this is the money that reaches us by way of the European funds. At this time our infrastructure projects are financed under these funds.”

The current term of office of the European Commission and the European Parliament runs until 2019. The most intensive legislative work is expected to be in 2018 and 2019 and Bulgaria will have an important role, as the last of the “trio” alongside Estonia and Great Britain, in “closing” many of the dossiers now open to negotiation. This takes much skill and the process is very competitive, in terms of the number of dossiers the country is able to close.

“What I would like to see Bulgaria’s presidency achieve is to help people know more about us,” Meglena Kuneva goes on to say. “I would deem it a success if once the presidency is over, I hear people say that Bulgarians are well prepared that they know how and are able to attain concord.”

During its rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, Bulgaria will face a serious challenge. Unless early elections are held before that, that will be the time when the term of office of the current government expires. It should not be forgotten that when it took over the presidency in 2010, Belgium was in the midst of a political crisis. The six months of the presidency were carried through by a caretaker cabinet but the presidency was ultimately assessed as highly successful. An example showing that it is possible for the political elite of a given country to reach consensus in the name of a higher goal and in the face of a difficult political situation at home.

English version: Milena Daynova