The possibilities for strengthening bilateral cooperation between Bulgaria and Denmark and within the framework of the European Union were discussed by the Speaker of the National Assembly Natalia Kiselova and the Minister for European Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark Marie Bier. The meeting was also attended by the Chairwoman of the Foreign Policy Committee Yordanka Fandakova and the Chairwoman of the European Affairs and Control of European Funds Committee Dimitar Gardev.
Among the topics of the conversation were the upcoming presidency of the Kingdom of Denmark of the Council of the European Union, defense spending, the enlargement of the Union, support for Ukraine, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and migration.
Bulgaria highly values the traditionally good relations with the Kingdom of Denmark, built on the basis of friendship and mutual trust, noted the Speaker of the Parliament. We welcome the further development of our bilateral political dialogue and the deepening of interaction on key issues on the global and European agenda, added Natalia Kiselova. She pointed out that this visit is extremely important because it is on the eve of the Danish presidency of the European Union. The Speaker of the National Assembly emphasized that Bulgaria's position on key issues for the EU is consistent. Our country supports the principle of unanimity, used in the decision-making process at all stages of the EU enlargement policy, to be preserved, she added.
The Minister for European Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark, Marie Bier, noted that her country will take over the presidency of the Council of the EU at an important moment when the geostrategic environment is complex. Europe in terms of security and defense must be more independent and stronger, Marie Bier emphasized. She expressed hope that the EU enlargement process will continue and noted that this must be based on contributions and clear criteria. According to her, Bulgaria and Denmark have similar positions on migration.
The Chairwoman of the Foreign Policy Committee, Yordanka Fandakova, stated that the first priority of our country is joining the eurozone on January 1, 2026. On February 25, 2025. Bulgaria has sent a letter requesting the European Commission and the European Central Bank to prepare extraordinary convergence reports for Bulgaria and we expect the EC and the ECB to issue a positive assessment on June 4, 2025, she added. We hope that this will complete the process of Bulgaria's full accession and integration into the EU, Yordanka Fandakova emphasized. As a second priority, she indicated our country's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /OECD/ and stated that we will continue to rely on the support of Denmark.
The Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs and Control of European Funds Dimitar Gardev noted that it is extremely important for us that the priorities that were outlined in the European Commission's program are consistently followed. The union's policies will find real expression in the Multiannual Financial Framework, he added. We believe that cohesion policy should not fall victim to new policies related, for example, to security and defense, he added.
We support the initiatives of the Kingdom of Denmark to strengthen the external borders, said Dimitar Gardev and noted that migration policy is very important for us as the external border of the EU. In his words, the Black Sea region is of utmost importance for the security of the EU and NATO. Bulgaria will actively participate in the development of a Black Sea security strategy, he said.