Turkey and the Ottoman dream
Municipal council elections March 21, 2018
By Caroline Klaver – Bouman.
In the Netherlands, elections to the municipal council take place once every four years. The next ones are on March 21, 2018.What quite a few diplomats and other expats do not know is that they can also vote in the local elections in the municipality they live in. EU citizens need to meet the same requirements as Dutch nationals, while non-EU citizens only need to have been legally resided in the Netherlands for at least 5 years. More voting details at the end of this article.
The municipality council decides on a lot of matters that have a real impact on the immediate living environment. For example, garbage collection, shopping area and parking, street facilities and local (sport) facilities. So, if you want to have an impact on the environment you live in at the moment, we would encourage you to use your right and vote on March 21.
I live in Wassenaar, as well as quite a few diplomats and expats. I am one of the candidates for the VVD in Wassenaar, the VVD is the political party of the H.E. Prime Minister, Mr. Mark Rutte. However, in Wassenaar we have been in the opposition for the last four years. We would like to create a better understanding of your needs. If we know what Wassenaar lacks for you, we can try to fight your battle, your voice could be heard on a local level.
In order to gather all your wishes and comments we joined forces with Diplomats magazine.
Readers of DiplomatMagazine.nl are more than welcome to join us. More details will follow shortly on wassenaar.vvd.nl.We would like to stay in touch with you through quarterly meetings to ensure we have an open dialogue and can represent you better in the municipality council.
Requirements for voting
The same requirements for casting their vote in the municipal council elections apply to Dutch nationals and EU citizens. A voter needs to meet the following requirements: i) he/she must be 18 years of age or over, ii) he/she may not be debarred from voting, iii) he/she must have been a resident of a Dutch municipality on nomination day, as evidenced by the Base Registry Persons. These requirements apply equally to all non-EU citizens who have legally resided in the Netherlands for at least five years. In other words, possessing Dutch nationality is not a requirement to be entitled to vote in the municipal council elections.
Everyone eligible to vote will receive an invitation to cast their vote sent to their home address no later than fourteen days prior to election day. This invitation includes their poll card. The poll card allows the voter to cast their vote in one of the polling station of their choice within the municipality’s borders.
Polling stations are open from 7.30 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.
ASEAN Shared – the EU twin from Asia: New memories, old wounds
By Rattana Lao- Bangkok.
Imagining peace is a noble concept but what does it take to achieve it?
Where does peace begin?
In modern-day Southeast Asia, this can trace back to the 8th of August, 1967 where five foreign ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand joined hands to create the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or what became known as ASEAN.
Diverse in nature and disperse in geography, ASEAN has achieved much within the course of fifty years. The Association has grown in size of its membership and expanded to reach ambitious mandates. In 2015, ASEAN Economic Community was created to promote free movement of people, goods, and ideas.
Economic integration was just the beginning.
Coated with a long and wordy text and signed on 17th November 2011, the Declaration on ASEAN Unity in Cultural Diversity strived toward achieving “people-centered and socially responsible integration” a socio-cultural integration in short.
Inspired by the European Union, creating one market was not enough for ASEAN. The Association is driven to “forging a common identity”. It is hoped that through such effort, peace, mutual understanding, and harmony will be fostered in Southeast Asia.
A common identity for more than 600 million people? A little lofty. Perhaps.
To achieve this aspiration, the Shared History Project in Southeast Asia was launched by UNESCO-Bangkok Office with funding from the Republic of Korea in 2013 to create a new history curricular to be taught and learned across ASEAN by 2018.
The project brought together historians, educators and researchers across the region to search for common grounds of what aspect of history to teach and how to teach it.
It is all for a higher purpose and a better future.
As the late Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, persuasively said: “it is a better history education that will produce and provide a strong foundation for understanding where we have come from and to guide us into the future where we are going, as individuals, as local communities, as nation-states, as a greater sub-regional grouping”.
Ideally speaking, a Shared History should be welcomed with an open arm. A project so inspiring that it aims to mitigate nationalism and bridge differences across the nations.
In an interview with Dr. William Brehm of Waseda University, he offered insight into this new architecture to build peace in ASEAN. There are many challenges to translate a Shared ASEAN.
Firstly, who will write these new memories? How can a consensus be built amongst people with diverse cultural heritage, background, and social memories?
If history is written by the winners – who are the winners in ASEAN?
In ASEAN, disputes, and conflicts amongst nations are not memories of things past, rather they are confounding issues aggravating daily hatred across countries within the region. Border dispute amongst nations is the case in point. As professor Anis H. Bajrektarevic already warned in his luminary policy paper ‘No Asian center…’ any absolute or relative shift in the economic and demographic strength of one subject of international relations will inevitably put additional stress on the existing power equilibriums and constellations that support this balance in the particular theater of implicit or explicit structure.” Therefore, funded by the Thailand Research Fund,
This is not to mention the infamous Preah Vihear dispute that cuts deep wounds between Thailand and Cambodia.
While the wounds are still fresh, how would these stories be told? Whose stories, precisely?
Secondly, how can a Shared ASEAN formed when countries are deeply founded with nationalistic sentiment, where overt nationalism is propagated in and outside of classrooms, where the sense of hatred to “the other” is instilled for students.
The villain of one country is the hero of the other. Myanmar – Thai historical textbooks are the prime examples on this. Thai kings are always the heroes for Thailand, while Myanmar kings are presented often and always as the villains.
Vice versa.
This is what a well-known Thai historian Thongchai Winichakul called “negative identification.”
For centuries, each country in ASEAN, is guilty of inflicting negative identification for others to elevate a sense of pride for themselves. It is easier to teach who is “us” when you know who is “them”.
ASEAN is not alone in striving to form a new memory of themselves. In the case of Africa, Dr. Brehm argued that the Shared History project took as long as 35 years to be successful.
“Dated back to UNESCO’s 1964 General History of Africa project. That project created a set of eight volumes articulating a shared history of Africa. Huge disagreements among the various national historians prolonged the project; it took 35 years before all eight volumes were published.”
If a country is an imagined community, said Bennedict Anderson in his polemic book the Imagined Community, by schools, common language and mass media, is it possible, Dr. Brehm asked, for the UNESCO and ASEAN enthusiastic idealists to dream of a new common identity for 600 million people who speak more than hundreds of languages and dialects?
Is it possible that a common understanding can be reached and harmony can be fostered through a new kind of textbook, new knowledge, and new understanding to promote something as elusive as a regional identity?
Dr. Brehm is a little skeptical: “So long as education is organized by nation-states, history and historical memory will always promote nationalism and national identity. Everything else will be secondary or retrofitted for the main purpose.”
Difficult but does that mean impossible?
Surely a Shared textbook is useful and much-needed intervention to cement a mutual understanding amongst ASEAN students. For political, historical and educational reasons, however, this project requires careful consideration, time and resources to ensure that a new generation of ASEAN will be peace-loving rather than nationalistic hawkish. Having a multilateral organization like UNESCO to promote history lesson offers a humble step toward regional peace.
Where does peace begin?
It begins with mutual understanding. More importantly, it has to begin now.
———- Photograph by Rattana Lao.Tunisia: creating new perspectives.
By H.E. Mr. Elyes Ghariani, Ambassador of Tunisia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Since 2011, Tunisia is going through a radically transformative moment of its History. The Jasmine revolution has resulted in huge changes and led to the irreversible move towards the implementation of a fully-fledged secular democratic system in the country.Over the last years, Tunisia has faced a multitude of political challenges and disparities but hopefully, succeeded in overcoming these difficulties thanks to the positive commitment of all the constituency of the Tunisian Society in engaging in franc talks and dialogue and finding compromise and common ground agreement for the best interest of our nation.
Pursuant to this process of dialogue and compromise, we succeeded, in January 2014, in adopting a new constitution followed by both legislative and presidential elections.
Nevertheless, and beyond the achievements reached in the fields of democracy, Human Rights and freedom of expression, Tunisia is nowadays facing greater challenges in terms of economic growth and social development: a challenge that all constituents of the Tunisian society are willing to meet to make of Tunisia a real success story.
Subsequently and in order to allow our economy to recover its vigor and accelerate the pace of reforms, the successive Governments achieved commendable progress on this path with the adoption of new bills for restructuring the banking system, for encouraging transparent and competitive functioning of market practices, for the impulse of investments and for setting a transparent, reliable and modern tax and customs structure.
Moreover, more bills related to the economic activity are currently under consideration by the Assembly of the Representatives of the People.
Further to the advantages afforded by the investment code and the subsequent decisions in favor of national and international investors, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed announced on Wednesday, January 17th, 2018, the launch of a government program to better the investment climate in Tunisia. The program is based on two main pillars: The revision of the system of authorizations required (from the beginning of February 2018, a definitive list of authorizations required for the creation of a project will be ready) and of administrative procedures capable of reducing bureaucracy.
It is worth reminding in this respect the solid baselines and comparative advantages that are worth taking into consideration when intending to invest and work with Tunisia. In fact, Tunisia enjoys a unique geostrategic position making it a natural gateway to Europe, the MENA region, and sub-Saharan African countries. Tunisia is also dotted with numerous factors of success which characterize its hopeful future and make room for optimism, especially its relatively sound economic foundation, its ethnic and cultural harmony and unity in addition to the level of the national elite and the abundance of skilled human resources.
Undeniably, being among the most competitive economies in Africa and the Arab world, the Tunisian economy offers businesses an environment of high quality. The education level of the active population, the sound macroeconomic management and the quality of public institutions are particularly favorable to business competitiveness.
To state a few, Tunisia is ranked 1st in North Africa in terms of:
- Talent Competitiveness “Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2017, INSEAD”
- Entrepreneurship Ecosystem | “Global Entrepreneurship Index 2017, GEDI”
- The “Bloomberg Innovation Index 2018 ‘’ names also Tunisia as the most innovative country in Africa.
- Besides, Tunisia is worldly competitive in some specific sectors. In fact, Tunisia ranks:
- 1st worldwide exporter of dates
- 2nd African producer of car components
- 2nd exporter of organic produce in Africa
- 3rd worldwide producer of olive oil for the 2015-2016 harvest season
Since 2011, we have opened on new horizons and we are proceeding with strong resolve and steadfastness on this irreversible path relying in the first place on our own capacities and fully committed to achieve the process that we subscribed to, with the support of the international community.
This support was indeed witnessed during the International Conference on Investment, Tunisia 2020, organized in Tunis in November 2016, when 40 official delegations and 1500 economic partners from 70 countries attended to show support to Tunisia.
As a follow-up to the Tunisia 2020, the “Tunisia Investment Forum 2017” gathered, in November 09th 2017, about 1,500 international investors, entrepreneurs and project promoters in order to stress out the fact that Tunisia is and will remain an attractive economic destination with high competitiveness capabilities.
Still, The Netherlands and our allies and neighbors of the European Union are called upon to play a major role in gathering support, a role they have always fulfilled with a strong will, and which we hope will pick up momentum and play out in the indicated direction.
We are confident that, in light of the political support shown repeatedly by Dutch high officials to my country, the business community in this vibrant and dynamic economy would have their say in further strengthening the partnership and cooperation ties existing between the two countries on the basis of a win-win principle.
Safe drinking water for all Europeans
Brussels, February 1, 2018
The revised EU legislation proposed today by the European Commission will improve the quality and accessibility of drinking water and the public with better information. The right of access to essential quality services, including water, is one of the principles of the European pillar of social rights endorsed by Heads of State and Government unanimously during the Gothenburg Summit. The legislative proposal adopted today is designed to ensure that law is a response to the European citizens, “Right2Water“, where 1.6 million signatures collected to support improved access to safe drinking water for all Europeans. Moreover, this proposal seeks to strengthen the position of consumers by requiring water companies to provide consumers with clearer information about water consumption, the cost structure and the price per liter in order to allow comparison with the prices of bottled water. This will help to achieve two environmental goals, namely reducing unnecessary use of plastic and reduce the EU’s carbon footprint and to achieving the goals of sustainable development.2017, a special year for India – Netherlands relations
By H.E. Mr. Venu Rajamony, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The year 2017 marked 70 years of diplomatic relations between India and the Netherlands. The Netherlands was one of the first countries to recognize independent India in 1947. Since then the Netherlands has been a fellow traveler encouraging us along the path of development.
2017 was a special year for India – Netherlands relations also because Foreign Minister Bert Koenders visited India in May and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Netherlands in June 2017. Investments from the Netherlands into India went up around US$ 2 billion in just six months of last year. Investments since 2015 has been US$ 8 billion.
The Netherlands is the fourth largest investor in India. At the same time, our economic relations are a two-way street. Just as around 200 Dutch companies operate in India, Netherlands is also home to around 200 Indian companies. There is steady increase in the number of Indian business and citizens relocating to this country even as Dutch business and industry show greater interest in India.
Last year, Tata Steel, the largest Indian company in the Netherlands, announced its merger with Germany’s Thyssen Group. The Headquarters of the merged company will remain in the Netherlands. TCS, India’s biggest IT firm completed 25 years of operations in the Netherlands. One of our major producers and exporters of Basmati rice, LT Foods opened an ultra-modern rice milling plant in Rotterdam. Similarly, Synthite, the world’s largest supplier of spice oils and oleoresins opened operations in the Food Valley, Wageningen.
India has shown the world that democracy and rapid economic growth can go hand in hand. According to the World Bank and the IMF, India is the fastest growing large economy in the world, growing at a rate of 7.4 to 7.8% this year and expected to continue to grow at this rate for the rest of this decade. Despite its size, scale and diversity, India has attained an average of 6.6% growth for nearly three decades under a democratic system, with full protection for human rights. India is today the third largest economy in the world in purchasing power parity terms with GDP of US$ 7.2 trillion.
Since 2014, India has seen a strong and stable government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiate a number of radical measures to reform the economy, accelerate growth and empower women and children. The Government has adopted a Goods and Services Tax which has unified our 1.3 billion people into one market for the first time. Improving the ease of doing business is one of the top priorities of the Government.
2018 promises to be an equally good year for India – Netherlands relations. Prime Minister Modi met Queen Maxima on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 23, 2018.
On January 26 2018, the Embassy of India successfully hosted India’s 69th Republic Day celebrations at De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam amidst a wonderful exhibition “We have a dream – Gandhi, King and Mandela.” It was the first time India’s Republic Day reception was being held in Amsterdam. The historic venue of De Nieuwe Kerk, on the Dam Square where Dutch Royal investiture ceremonies and the Royal weddings are held was specially chosen for the purpose. Guests had the opportunity to view first hand a bicycle and Charkha (spinning wheel) used by Mahatma Gandhi, handwritten corrections of a speech by Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela’s Robben Island Bible which were on display as part of the exhibition. We were also honoured to have as guests of honour at the reception Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior and the Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands Ms Kajsa Ollongren, Mayor Jan van Zanen of Utrecht and former Ministers Bert Koenders and Edith Schippers.
India’s Republic Day marks that day in 1950 when the people of India adopted, enacted and gave to ourselves the Constitution of India. And, the Indian Constitution fully enshrines the ideals that Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela stood for, struggled for and for whose achievement they dedicated their lives. Through strenuous efforts over the last seven decades, India has firmly established within our country, the Rule of Law, a Parliament that reflects the enormous diversity and variety of opinion in our country, a fiercely independent judiciary, a free press and a vibrant civil society.
As India grows and integrates more and more with the world, we see the people of Netherlands as our close friends and partners.
————
Join International Yoga Day celebrations at Museumplein, Amsterdam on June 17, 2018
The International Yoga Day will be celebrated on the Museumplein of Amsterdam from 12 noon on June 17 with a mass yoga demonstration and a wellness fair involving food, music and dance. I invite the Diplomat magazine and all its readers, especially my friends and colleagues from the diplomatic community to join with their families and make the event a big success.
The United Arab Emirates modernizes its intelligence services
From the Past to the Future – Poland on 100 Anniversary of Regaining its Independence
By H.E. Mr. Marcin Czepelak, Ambassador of Poland in The Netherlands.
There is a painting hanging on the wall in the reception lounge of the Polish Embassy in the Hague. The painting (author unknown) is dated at 1597 and shows the Binnenhof and Lange Viverberg from de Plaats in the Hague. Among others, we can see a figure of Paweł Działyński, most likely first Polish envoy to the Union of Utrecht, which will later turn into the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Poland and the Netherlands had a very good relation then. Initially, they were based on trade since Poland was a “garner of Europe”, later deepened with a similar attitude towards governance system, shared humanistic values and cultural and social development.It is worth mentioning that at this time Polish kings were elected by the nobles and they had to follow laws and parliamentary statutes. It was also the age of peace between different religions. At the time when Europe was torn apart by religious wars, Poland was also regarded as a safe haven for all persecuted for religious grounds (in 1573 Sejm adopted a law that guaranteed freedom of confession). Moreover, the privilege “neminem captivabimus nisi iure victum” forbid to jail anyone without a court’s order.
All the above explains why Poland was known as a “Republic of Nobles” and was considered as an example state by the most brilliant minds of Europe like Erasmus of Rotterdam, who wrote that “In Polonia lex est rex”.
Sadly, the “golden age” (parallel to the famous Dutch one) did not last forever. XVII and XVIII century brought wars, chaos, economic and political collapse with the partitions carried out by our neighboring powers: Austria, Prussia, and Russia reigned by the absolutistic monarchs. Shortly before Polish Sejm adopted – as the last act of political independence – the Constitution of 3 May 1791 that was the second document of that kind in the world (after the USA) and first in Europe.
It took us 123 years, three uprisings (1830-1831, 1846, 1863) and the Great War (1914-1918) to regain our independence in 1918. Still, it was a great challenge to unite a country that had been divided into three different states. Although it is hard to imagine, in Poland three civil codes were in force: German and Austrian civil codes and – last but not least – also the code civile (called in Poland ‘the Code of Napoleon’). As a lawyer, I particularly admire the commitment to unify the Polish legal system. But there was much more to be done. Accordingly, there were three different political system institutions, three different monetary systems, and two different railway track sizes. Yet, the II Republic was reborn as a modern state, strong socially, economically and politically.
Unfortunately, history again turned against us with the imminent II World War. On 1 September 1939 Poland was invaded by the Nazi Germany and on 17 September 1939 by the Soviet Russia. Despite the initial defeat, Polish soldiers continued their fight against Hitler’s armies on all fronts. In this context, I would like to recall the struggle of Polish soldiers during the II World War who fought for “your and our freedom” in the Netherlands. It is important for us to remember that the city of Breda and large parts of The Netherlands were liberated by Polish troops under the command of General Maczek.
The defeat of Nazi Germany did not mean the return of freedom to Poland since after 1945 Poland fell under the rule of Stalin’s Russia. The red terror crushed the remaining resistance and established the communist regime in Poland. Despite all odds, new generations carried on the struggle of their fathers for freedom that lead to the creation of Solidarity movement and peaceful, democratic transformation in 1989. New governments commenced political and economic reforms which reintroduced market economy and democratic principles to Poland. The end of this process was joining of Poland to NATO in 1999 and EU in 2004. We, Polish, are very proud about that.
As it was 100 years ago, we are now looking with hope into future. As it was in 1918, also nowadays we are facing numerous challenges in Europe and around the globe, of political, economic and security nature. The historical comparisons are of course not always valid. The end of First World War in 1918 brought Poland independence, sovereignty and a perspective of hope and optimism so brutally crushed twenty years later by two totalitarian regimes: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
In the XXI Century, we are far from such a gloomy scenario. The world has changed and the situation is different. Nevertheless, the challenges of an uncertain future for our societies cannot be easily resolved. The overall aim of Europe, free and at peace is still to be achieved. . and remaining threats to international peace and security have to be addressed. Yet another “frozen conflict” is ongoing at Poland’s eastern neighbor. “Brexit” seems to have seriously shaken the foundations of the EU. And the discussion on how to preserve the transatlantic links between the US and Europe is getting the biggest attention since the end of the Cold War. In a nutshell, we see history in the making.Looking back at Poland’s last 100 years I must say without a doubt that the last years have been its best. Polish “Round Table talks” and first free elections on 4 June 1989 elections triggered the domino effect of democratic transformation in Central and Eastern Europe and fall of the Berlin Wall, that ended the Cold War. Almost three decades of political and economic developments in Poland resulted in a well-functioning state of 2018 based upon principles of democracy, free market economy, human rights and rule of law. We play an active role in shaping the future of the European Union and NATO. We take seriously the security on a global scale in the United Nations Security Council context.
Poland has proven that it is not a security consumer any longer but a contributor to peace regionally and globally. Cumulated experiences of the past along with dynamism and the potential of the Polish national spirit have finally had a unique opportunity to flourish, providing creative solutions in politics, economy, science, technology, and sport.I am honored to be a part of this process as the Polish Ambassador to the Netherlands, a post which I took up just a couple of months ago in September 2017. The Hague as such puts emphasis on elements that are very dear to the Polish hearts, be it dialogue, cooperation, free trade, international law and justice or last but not least security. These values are also my commitment for day to day work.
The Slovak Republic 25 years After
By H.E. Roman Buzek, Ambassador of Slovakia in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
On the 1st of January 2018, it has been already 25 years since the amicable, well-negotiated and smooth dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic brought into existence two successor democratic states: the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Many doubted whether the separation of two countries was going to be successful. Many feared the separation would bring yet another bloody conflict in the heart of Europe. But these fears proved groundless as the split was truly peaceful and friendly.
Just like two siblings who grew up together under one roof and then decided to set up their own houses, two countries remain remarkably close in spite of their independent domiciles. Since 1993 Slovakia and the Czech Republic represent an unparalleled example of good neighborly relations and friendship based on the same values and principles.
The Slovak Republic at age of 25 is a stable and prosperous country. Still young, but ambitious, it is a reliable and trustworthy member of the international community who takes its share of responsibility for maintaining international peace and prosperity, be it as a growing donor of international assistance or as an active participant in various peacekeeping operations. Holding its first ever Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2016, Slovakia proved its established position in the international community. Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, is currently presiding over the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. From July 2018, once again Slovakia will chair the Visegrad 4 Group. Furthermore, Slovakia is now preparing for its presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2019.
Throughout the years the Kingdom of the Netherlands has been one of the partners that provided Slovakia with instrumental support and assistance in various fields of socio-economic development and in joining both the European Union and NATO 14 years ago. The current relationship between the two countries is based on the same European values and perspectives for the common future in the European Union.
The Netherlands has been and still is one of the most prominent foreign investors in Slovakia. The cooperation develops very well in all fields. The state visit of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix to Slovakia in 2007 reciprocated by the visit of President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič to the Netherlands in 2012 proved the excellent relations between the two countries as well as the potential for their further development. The two countries currently enjoy vibrant and growing cooperation in all fields: politics, trade and business; education and research; and culture.
During its 25 years of independence, Slovakia has undergone series of challenging economic reforms to become a successful and prosperous country joining the single European currency in 2009. The automotive industry is the backbone of the country´s economy with over 1 million cars produced last year. Land Rover / Jaguar is expected to start its production in Nitra later this year joining already existing production facilities of Volkswagen in Bratislava, Peugeot/Citroen in Trnava and Kia in Žilina.
Another perspective branch with huge development potential is mountain tourism which might be particularly interesting for foreign tourists – both in summer and winter time. Slovakia located in the very heart of Europe offers lots of other recreational possibilities, including well–developed spa network providing relief with various illnesses; many opportunities for relaxing, enjoying the nature or historical architecture and last but not least tasting traditional Slovak cuisine and various local wine and beer production.
Young and modern, Slovakia at its age of 25 is full of confidence and visions for the years to come.
Priorities and challenges of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council
Main priorities and challenges of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
By H.E. Rumen Alexandrov, Ambassador of Bulgaria in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Taking over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU is both a privilege challenge and responsibility for us. Bulgaria joined the EU 11 years ago and today it has the chance to shape the EU’s policies in key areas.
For us, the Presidency is also a chance to show our partners a different side of Bulgaria:
- A country in which the cohesion funds are bringing about visible change and contributing to the year-on-year economic growth of 4%.
- A country which is protecting the EU’s external border as responsibly as any Schengen area member, without in fact being part of Schengen.
- A country whose currency is governed under the same rules as the euro, whose macroeconomic indicators are impeccable even though it is not part of the Eurozone.
- A country where different religions and ethnicities live together in peace. In the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, a church, a mosque and a synagogue lie less than 500 meters apart.
I hope that over the next six months many people across Europe will get to know more of these multiple faces of Bulgaria – the good student, the strong economic performer, the model for ethnic tolerance.
We approach the EU Presidency with full awareness that our citizens expect from us effective solutions to concrete problems. After the crises that Europe has faced in recent years it is time to be pragmatic and result-oriented in order to regain the confidence of our citizens. The time until the end of the current term of the European Parliament and the European Commission is running short and we need to move fast. That is why the program of our Presidency is ambitious while remaining realistic.
What are our strategic goals? We will work for a stable and secure Europe of solidarity.
- Stable Europe because our citizens expect that the European Union takes care of their prosperity and well-being.
- Secure Europe because the migration crisis and the terrorist attacks in the recent years showed how vulnerable we are.
- Solidarity because the main challenges we face can only be resolved by common actions.
To achieve our goals, we work in four main strands:
1. Economic growth, social cohesion, and youth.
In order to boost economic growth, the Bulgarian Presidency will work towards strengthening the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). We will promote open and inclusive discussion on the EMU architecture. In the area of the Banking Union, we will focus our efforts on risk reduction measures.
We are putting great emphasis on stable EU finances and we will contribute to the discussions on the new Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU (MFF). Bulgaria will endeavor for an honest and open political debate on the future of the Cohesion Policy and maintain its important role in the budget of the European Union post-2020. The Cohesion policy has a clear added value as it fosters growth and jobs and has a direct benefit to the citizens.
Next, we believe that young people are key to the development of the European economy and society, therefore, the level of European investment in education and research is to be increased. We will put an emphasis on the mid-term review of the Erasmus + programme as well as on finalizing the legislative work on the European Solidarity Corps.
2. Security and stability for a stronger and United Europe
For the security of the Union as a whole, it is crucial to complete the reform of the Common European Asylum System, based on the principles of responsibility and genuine solidarity. The Bulgarian Presidency will work for more coordinated European measures in the field of Return policy.
Another important task for our presidency is to improve the interoperability of the EU information systems and databases.
In Justice area, we will focus our efforts on the institutionalization of the European Public Prosecutor‘s Office as well as on the Cross-border access to electronic evidence.
Within the priority for a stronger and more secure European Union, we will work towards regional cooperation, energy connectivity, protection of critical energy infrastructure and ensuring the security of gas supply through diversification of sources and routes within the framework of a stable Energy Union.
3. European perspective of the Western Balkans
There is a window of opportunity for concrete progress on the EU path of the Western Balkans’ countries in 2018 and we hope that the countries from the region will take advantage of it. As Presidency of the Council, we will fully respect the principles of individual and merit-based assessment, and the fulfillment of the established criteria.
We hope that during the Bulgarian Presidency new negotiation chapters with Serbia and Montenegro could be opened, progress could be made in view of opening negotiations with FYROM and Albania, and the European perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo could be further consolidated.
The EU will continue to encourage the implementation of ambitious reforms which are indispensable for the European integration of the countries in the region. We see huge potential in bringing the region closer to the Union by building missing energy, digital and transport infrastructure. A key initiative which we already started to promote is the gradual decrease in roaming prices.
On 17 May 2018, Bulgaria will host an EU-Western Balkans Summit, which is to send a positive message to all the 6 countries in the region on their European integration.
4. Digital Economy and skills of the future
The Digital Single Market is a source of growth and competitiveness and greater share of online service users and the rapid penetration of information and communication technologies across all sectors of the economy is needed.
Our efforts are aimed at providing clear, transparent and balanced transport legislation, that takes into account the national specificities of the EU Member State’s transport sector, with focus on advancing the legislative proposals from the so-called “Road Package”.
We share the need for Fair and efficient taxation of corporate profits and preventing tax evasion.
As regards the social dimension of the European Union the focus of the Presidency will be on 4 major topics: “The Future of Work” in the digital and shared economy; European Social Fund (ESF) support in the post 2020 programming period; the concept of early childhood development; and people with disabilities as members of society with equal rights.
By way of concluding just let me mention that the motto of the Bulgarian Presidency is “United we stand strong“.
The motto reflects our historical experience – the same words are inscribed at the entrance of our National Assembly and are at the core of our democracy. Our national history has taught us that the more united, the stronger we are.
We believe that this experience of ours is relevant for the EU in this particular moment of time. “Unity” and “integrity” are essential to respond to the common challenges and deliver for our citizens.