Sofia, January 26 (BTA) - The reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and the proposals of the Bulgarian EU Presidency received support, Interior Minister Valentin Radev told a joint news conference with EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos after Thursday's informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Sofia.

Radev added that experts would continue working on the reform and the EU Member States should approve it by the end of June. It is proposed to reform the Dublin Regulation, not to separate the two CEAS reform packages, and to discuss the European Commission's proposal. Radev urged the Member States not to focus on what divides them and not to repeat what was done before.

The Interior Minister said he had heard positive comments from countries which were not quite on board with the proposed changes before.

Europe cannot cope with migration on its own and should seek outside help, according to Radev. This position led to a discussion of a possible interaction with third countries and the migrants' countries of origin.

Avramopoulos commented that the EU should be able to repatriate persons who do not have the right to stay in Europe, and added that progress had been made on this matter.

The Commissioner also said the EU-Turkey deal was working and the commitments were being met. The deal should be supported, EU-Turkey cooperation is working very well and the Member States have delivered on all promises. Avramopoulos said 1.85 billion euro had been paid for 72 projects and the remainder would be paid out by the year's end on the same conditions as the first instalment.

The participants in the informal meeting also discussed ways to more actively fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling and to encourage legal migration. They reached agreement on more effective ways to manage the EU's external borders and to tap Frontex's capacity.