Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Thursday received Meglena Kuneva, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Institutional Affairs for talks on bilateral relations with a focus on strengthening the cooperation in different fields of joint interest. The two officials have agreed, among others, on beginning the preparation for the organisation in Romania in the near future of the next joint government meeting, the Government Press Office informs.
The visit Meglena Kuneva has paid to Bucharest is part of the consolidated political-diplomatic dialogue between the two countries both on a bilateral and on a European level.
‘It was agreed to begin the preparation for the organisation in Romania in the near future of the next joint government meeting in which to analyse the prospects of consolidating the sectoral cooperation both on a European and regional level, based on the two countries’ common objectives and interests,’ according to the cited source.
The Romanian Prime Minister underscored the potential of the further development of the cooperation in sectoral areas, such as regional development, infrastructure, transports, energy, agriculture, information technology and communications.
‘They also talked about aspects concerning the two countries’ process of accession to the Schengen area. At the same time, during the meeting, the two officials approached topical issues in the European space, with a focus on the measures for consolidating the economic increase and the new job creation and on the role of the Investment Plan for Europe in promoting some projects of interest in the energy and transports areas,’ the Government also informs.
Aurescu, Kuneva discuss joint strategy for Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area
Paying an official visit to Bucharest on Thursday, Mrs. Meglena Kuneva, also had an opinion exchange with the Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu (photo) . They have agreed on the modalities of putting into practice the common objective assumed within the EU, through the Juncker Plan, of consolidating the economic growth and creating new jobs, informs a press release remitted to Agerpres.
During the meeting in Bucharest, Aurescu ‘highlighted the significant impact potential of the investment climate revival on the consolidation of the economic increase both on a European and on a national level, due to the fact that the Juncker Plan is focused on a series of areas with a major potential of drawing investment and which, at the same time, presents a major importance to Romania, too: energy, transports, infrastructure, digital economy.’
In this context, the Romanian chief diplomat proposed the Bulgarian high official to explore together the opportunities which the plan could bring to some Romanian-Bulgarian common projects.
According to the source, the talks highlighted an opinion convergence concerning the need to ensure a balanced distribution of projects within the Investment Plan in the entire European Union, in order to reflect the specific needs for investments of the member states.
The two dignitaries had an opinion exchange on the prospects of solving the file of Romania’s and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area.
‘Referring to the bilateral relations, which he defined as having a strategic nature, Bogdan Aurescu underscored the dynamic of the dialogue on all levels and hailed the openness of the Bulgarian side to continue this dialogue, in 2015, on the same coordinates. In context, the two officials saluted the high level visit calendar agreed for the coming period,’ the Romanain Foreign Ministry (MAE) points out.
Bogdan Aurescu and Meglena Kuneva highlighted the opportuneness of continuing the bilateral cooperation through the development of projects in sectoral areas, such as regional development, transports, energy, agriculture. In context, the two officials talked about the preparation of the next joint government meeting, MAE adds.
Romania, Bulgaria agree a joint taskforce for projects of common interest
European Funds Minister Eugen Teodorovici and Bulgarian Vice Prime Minister for European Affairs Meglena Kuneva discussed in a meeting on Thursday the joint investments of their countries and the evolutions of the utilization of European funds.
‘Our joint mission is to identify the investment opportunities that support the interests of both countries, the economic development of both states. Therefore, I have agreed with the Bulgarian official to form a bilateral taskforce to determine as soon as possible the joint projects we should support, including the perspective of the investment plan of EC President Jean-Claude Juncker. We have already discussed the identification of joint projects, where we should involve the private business,’ Teodorovici declared in a media release to Agerpres on Thursday night.
Kuneva appreciated the significant progress made by Romania in the use of the European structural and cohesion funds. She mentioned that Bulgaria has followed Romania’s model by creating a ministry to coordinate the structures involved in attracting such funds.
ANI: Bulgaria to benefit of Romanian expertise in preventing and fight corruption
President of the National Integrity Authority [ANI] Horia Georgescu on Friday met with the Deputy prime Minister of Bulgaria, Meglena Kuneva, in charge with European Policies Coordination and Institutional Affairs, a former European Commissioner for Consumer Protection over 2007-2010.
According to a press release of ANI to Agerpres, Horia Georgescu and Meglena Kuneva highlighted the opportunity of establishing a mechanism of cooperation between the two countries, so that the Bulgarian authorities could benefit from the experiences gathered by ANI during the seven years of activity in preventing and fighting corruption.
They approached such general topics as the preventing and fighting against corruption or the statement of assets and interests system, but they also approached more specific aspects, such as the functioning of the Agency, the results obtained in the evaluation of incompatibilities, conflicts of interests or unjustified wealth and, no last, about the efforts made by the Agency in accomplishing with the established objectives under the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification – the 2nd conditionality.
Photo: www.mae.ro
