11/09/09
Interview made by Rositza Coneva for bulgaria-news.bg
Miss Panayotova what are GERB’s political arguments concerning the future European Commissioner? The President of the EPP – Mr. Wilfried Martens, states that the next Bulgarian European Commissioner needs to be a candidate from GERB, despite the good results achieved so far by Miss Meglena Kuneva as European Commissioner?
I would like to start with the words of Mr. Wilfried Martens, during the visit of Mr. Borissov and our delegation, which included Ministers. They weren’t said without a reason and are the latest praise to our MEP’s in the last European Parliament. The EPP has the majority in the current European Parliament and Mr. Martens shows support for the hard work of GERB in the family of the EPP. There is an institutional triangle in the EU. This year we had the unique chance to witness a change in our Government, a new European Parliament was chosen and a new European Commission will be assembled. The EPP has the majority in the European Parliament and the Prime Minister and the Ministers take part in the Council of the European Union, so it is normal to fill in the European Commission with a representative from the ruling majority, in this case from GERB, as this has become the normal procedure. So from one side the full responsibility for future actions can be taken and from the other a better synchronization can be achieved in our actions. We have the hard task to earn back the trust that our country has lost before the European Institutions and to renew the European funding. We need to improve our Foreign Policy and as a member of the EU on the Balkan Peninsula help neighboring countries who are not part of the EU become part of it.
Is this going to be a priority in our Foreign Policy?
Yes it is. The European Commissioner needs to be an expert in their field of work, but his function is also political. It is important and it can’t be denied that there is political logic for the next European Commissioner to be from GERB. We can’t make a prediction at this point about the role of the future Bulgarian Commissioner in the European Commission. That’s because the new President for the European Commission need to be chosen. If it is Mr. Borroso, as a representative of the EPP there will be easier communication, because we belong to the same European family. In all case without commenting on names I am sure that GERB will choose the right person for the position of European Commissioner. All of the different European Commissions are important and I hope that our candidate will be competent and be able to speak well before the European Parliament. The responsibility to find the balance between defending the rights of his country and the right of the whole EU will fall on his shoulders. The European Commission defends the best interests of the Union, the European Parliament defends the best interests of the European citizens and the Council of Europe defends the best interests of all the countries members of the EU.
How will GERB defend Bulgaria’s national interests before the European Institutions, despite the cliché that in Brussels everyone defends the European interests? It is known that the representatives of Greece, Poland – the bad child of Eastern Europe and Romania defend their own National priorities?
I am sure that the colleagues in the European Parliament will be extremely active. It is good that after the Lisbon Treaty takes effect the communication between the EU and the National Governments will become greater and more stable. The majority in the EP and in our own Government ensures that we would be able to fulfill our policies. Now European politic is connected to our lives and effects on our daily standards. The voice of the Bulgarians will be heard through our representatives in the European Union.
What needs to change in our foreign policy? Do we use the full capacity of our seventeen MEP?
All of them are part of their own political family in the European Parliament. The more authority there is in those families the better our priorities will be defended in Brussels. You see every MEP can make a change and is important. At the meeting of the EPP Mr. Borissov and Mrs. Merkel sit on the same level in other words everyone has their authority and can express their opinion. We are part of Europe and we need to have European mentality. Let’s show our experience and our potential. We have the chance to be the leader in the Black Sea region concerning European politics.
Would it be a remote bomb if the Irish say “No” to the Lisbon treaty again?
I sincerely hope that the Irish wouldn’t say “No” to the Treaty. If the Lisbon treaty is blocked that would block the acceptance of new members to the European Union, especially here on the Balkans. For example Croatia is on the verge on acceptance in the EU. All of the potential members will be blocked, because it would be able to happen on institutional level. This will put a stop to the perspective for those countries. I think it is very important for the Lisbon Treaty to be accepted and to take effect. This will ensure stability on the Balkans and give more weight to the National Parliaments which will be a sign of change in the European integration model.
Is there a B-plan if Ireland says “No”?
Actually the Lisbon treaty is the B-plan of the European Constitution. If the Lisbon Treaty is not accepted I suppose that there will be a similar treaty which will be made, but all of this takes time. It is interesting that the negative vote in France and The Netherlands wasn’t because of the document, but citizens reacted with a negative vote, because of their countries National politics.
Does the European Administration find the needed language? The new cliché for a “Brussels Language”, isn’t a coincidence, is it?
It tries. The EPP took as a priority to be close to the people. The new generation prefers to call things with their real name. It wants the politicians to speak in a new way – more direct and more naturally. Which is good.
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