Deputy PM Kuneva: Bulgaria Will Participate Actively in European Migration Policy Drafting

Brussels, March 17 (BTA) - Bulgaria will participate actively in
the drafting and discussion of the EU migration strategy, which
will be presented by the European Commission in May, said
Deputy Prime Minister for European Policy and Institutional
Affairs Coordination Meglena Kuneva during her meeting with EU
Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Commissioner Dimitris
Avramopoulos, said the Government Press Service on Tuesday. The
meeting is part of the Deputy PM's working visit to Brussels and
Berlin between March 16 and 19.

Kuneva and Avramopoulos agreed that migration will be a key
topic for Europe in the coming years given the situation in the
Middle East and North Africa. Bulgaria demands that Member
States demonstrate solidarity regarding migration and that the
burden does not fall only on the Southern European countries,
where immigrants and refugees first enter. This topic will also
be included in the EC's migration strategy. The two also
discussed the idea to reinforce the EU external borders agency
FRONTEX.

The topic of a common European migration policy will also be
discussed during Commissioner Avramopoulos' visit in Sofia in
the coming months.

Avramopoulos stated his categorical support for Bulgaria's
Schengen accession. Support for the Bulgarian Schengen cause was
also declared during Kuneva's meetings with the Chair Group of
the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the
European Parliament, Gianni Pittella, and with the Chair of the
European Parliament Defence and Security Subcommittee, Anna
Fotyga.

The Deputy PM also conferred with Bulgarians who work at senior
positions in European institutions, whom she described as
Bulgaria's best ambassadors. According to Kuneva, it is this
country's goal to have a director general at the EC, as well as
more employees at middle management positions. Currently over
700 Bulgarians work at the institutions and this country is
doing well on a senior level, however, more efforts are needed
for the middle echelon. The possibility to have current
Bulgarian employees at European institutions help with this
country's upcoming EU presidency (second half of 2018) was also
discussed during the meeting.