The EU is a strong global player that needs to be even more united, secure and competitive in the new geopolitical context, Bulgaria's outgoing Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov told an informal meeting of EU leaders on the EU's strategic agenda in Vilnius. 

"Bulgaria supports coordinated EU action with international partners to maintain a fair, rule-based and law-abiding global order. Security and defence, as well as EU enlargement, are of strategic importance. We must keep speaking with one voice and defend European principles and standards," Denkov said. 

He urged the EU to continue to support Ukraine's defence and to seek a comprehensive approach to migration. The prime minister also called for the lifting of checks at the land borders of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area.