Sofia, March 9 (BTA) - The European People's Party (EPP) announced in Sofia Friday the start of local campaigns for the European Parliament elections in 2019 under the motto "Europe starts in your village/town/region". Below are highlights of the speeches of some of the participants in the event.

GERB Deputy Chairman Tsvetan Tsvetanov:

The European Parliament elections will be the dress rehearsal for GERB's mayors for the Bulgarian local elections in the autumn of 2019. Populism must be addressed, while the mainstream parties need to demonstrate to the people that what they are doing is the best.

GERB Chairman and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov:

No one in Europe disputes that the EU is the best place to live in, with the best infrastructure, environment, innovations and welfare systems. The EU should regulate its relations with Russia and Turkey.

Also, the EU should have a political decision on building transport corridors in the Balkans. Otherwise, the Balkans are doomed to depopulation, to becoming a black hole that generates insecurity, instability and terrorism.

EPP President Joseph Daul:

We should not leave the European Parliament in the hands of populists, we have to defend ourselves against anything that threatens our values.

We [the EPP] bear great responsibility and our message should be clearly heard, therefore we should listen to what our citizens say [ahead of the 2019 European Parliament elections]. A large part of the EU citizens have more trust in the European than in the national institutions.

EPP-Committee of the Regions Group President Michael Schneider:

The most important thing is to restore the trust in the European project, particularly ahead of the forthcoming European Parliament elections next year. It is very important to refresh the way of doing politics, with a focus on new digital instruments.

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova:

The EU has Sofia's support. The Bulgarian capital is one of the best examples of EU money used for the benefit of every citizen, and the Sofia Metro is a case in point. The EU is more than financial support, its strength comes from being a community.

Liliyana Pavlova, Minister for Bulgaria's EU Council Presidency:

The Bulgarian EU Presidency, which started over 10 weeks ago, is at its peak, work on the stated priorities is under way and some progress has been made. The Western Balkans are a good example: their EU membership prospects are already high on the agenda of Europe's leaders thanks to Bulgaria and its EU Presidency.

The participants in the forum focused on education and investments in it. Last autumn, 300 dropouts were brought back to school in Sofia alone. Fandakova said that some 18 million leva were invested in school renovation in the capital in 2017, and double that amount has been allocated for this year.