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Romanian and Bulgarian Governments met in a joint sitting in Ruse
Romania and Bulgaria signed on Friday in Ruse (northern Bulgaria) a set of sectoral cooperation agreements.
The Governments of the two neighboring countries met in a joint sitting that ended with the signing of the following documents: a memorandum of understanding on regional development; a protocol of cooperation in agriculture and rural development; a protocol of cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries.
The list of the documents signed on Friday also includes a defence memorandum of understanding, an agreement regarding the sector of information technologies and communications, as well as a cooperation agreement in the sector of youth and sports.
In a solemn ceremony, Prime Ministers Victor Ponta and Plamen Oresharski unveiled an official postage stamp dedicated to the 135th anniversary of Romania - Bulgaria diplomatic relations. This is the third time the two countries issue a common postage stamp. The first was put out in 1948, featuring the picture of the future Giurgiu-Ruse Friendship Bridge across the Danube, which was inaugurated in 1954. The second stamp was issued in 2006 and was dedicated to the two countries' EU accession in 2007.
After the joint meeting of the two Governments, Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski voiced acceptance of the invitation extended by his counterpart Victor Ponta for Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia to institutionalize their cooperation at a meeting in the Romanian city of Craiova this year. The meeting is supposed to set the basis of a regional group patterned after the Visegrad Group.
Romanian Premier Victor Ponta too pleaded for speeding up bilateral cooperation, stressing that the energy, infrastructure and communications projects must advance to the stage of implementation.
Premier Ponta also explained that Craiova was chosen to host the upcoming Romania-Bulgaria-Serbia trilateral meeting because it lies at an approximately equal distance from Bucharest, Sofia and Belgrade, but also because this is where the treaty between Romania and Bulgaria (the 1940 Treaty of Craiova on southern Dobrogea - Ed. note) was signed 75 years ago. According to the Romanian Prime Minister, the meeting to be organized 75 years on in Craiova will be proof that Romania and Bulgaria set their sights only on the future.
PM Ponta: Romania and Bulgaria, perfectly prepared to enter Schengen Area
Romania and Bulgaria are 'perfectly prepared' to enter the Schengen Area, said on Friday Prime Minister Victor Ponta.
'We want to uphold the standards regarding the rule of law, an independent, efficient justice and implicitly that to mean a better life for our citizens, including a rapid decision this year in regards to airports and maritime borders and as soon as possible regarding land borders, because Bulgaria and Romania ... are perfectly prepared to be members of the Schengen Area' said Ponta in Ruse at the end of the joint cabinet meeting between the Romanian and Bulgarian executives.
He stated that the two parties also discussed about the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism and its what it entails on joining the Schengen Area.
'First of all we have expressed our common position of satisfaction towards what the European Parliament adopted recently, namely a proposal for a standardized system of significant values in justice and in regard to the rule of law, applicable to all 28 countries of the EU. Romania and Bulgaria must no longer be treated always separately, we are equal members of the EU', emphasized the Romanian Premier.
He also stated that both Romania and Bulgaria support 'with full conviction' the European integration of Moldova and of Georgia and advocate a solution that is 'peaceful, democratic, constitutional and in the spirit of international law' in what regards the crisis in Ukraine.
Angel Naydenov and Mircea Du?a inked a Memorandum for mutual maintenance and support in joint military operations and drills on the territories of the two countries
Bulgarian Defence Minister Angel Naydenov took part in the second joint sitting of the governments of Bulgaria and Romania in Ruse on Friday, the press centre of the Defence Ministry announced.
Mr Naydenov held a sitting with Romanian counterpart Mircea Du?a. In the course of the talks various issues related to Bulgarian-Romanian military cooperation were discussed and the active cooperation between the two countries’ Defence Ministries and armed forces was highly praised. The realisation of projects of mutual interest, such as the joint use of simulation technologies by the two countries’ marine and air forces were also discussed.
Mr Naydenov remarked Bulgaria and Romania needed to seek more opportunities for active cooperation in the frames of NATO’s Smart Defence initiative and EU’s Pooling and Sharing initiative. Angel Naydenov also acclaimed Romania’s active work in chairing the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) process in the 2013–2015 period.
Angel Naydenov and Mircea Du?a inked a Memorandum of undestanding between the governments of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania for the mutual realisation of maintenance and support on the part of the host country, which establishes the basic conditions for the realisation of mutual maintenance and support in joint military operations and drills on the territories of the two countries.
This document was the first of its kind to be signed by Bulgaria. The procedures established in it, which are related to maintenance and support on the part of the host country, comply with regulations adopted by NATO.
Romanian, Bulgarian foreign affairs ministers sign cooperation protocol
The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Titus Corlatean and his Bulgarian counterpart Kristian Vigenin signed a Protocol of cooperation between their ministries, at the Friday's joint meeting of the Governments of the two countries held on Friday in Ruse (northern Bulgaria), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informs.
On this occasion, Corlatean voiced his interest for the enhancement of the economic exchanges between the two countries, as Romania is Bulgaria's third economic partner.
'The two foreign affairs ministers discussed the importance of the preservation of the identity of Romanian and Bulgarian communities through the support of the two Governments for their cultural and educational projects. There were mentions of the opportunity of extending the dialogue at various levels concerning the two communities, including the level of the Church authorities in both countries. The importance of studying native languages in both countries has been also highlighted, with emphasis of Hristo Botev High School in Bucharest and Mihai Eminescu High School of Sofia, and on native language education for the Romanian ethnic minority in Vidin area (northwest Bulgaria),' MAE's release shows.
According to this source, the parties agreed to speed up the negotiations on the tracing of maritime boundaries; they underlined the importance of identifying a compromise solution through bilateral diplomatic dialogue, taking into account the relevant international laws.
As regards the European agenda, the parties agreed to further coordinate their position to reach the shared objectives, especially the access to the Schengen Area.
Within the context of expressions of concern about the situation in Ukraine, the two ministers underlined the need for the European integration perspective of this country.
'Minister Titus Corlatean voiced his concern about the current situation of the guarantee of the rights of ethnic minorities' individuals, especially referring to the Romanian minority in Ukraine,' MAE informs.
Liviu Dragnea, Desislava Terzieva sign two cooperation memorandums in Ruse
The Memorandum on the 2007-2013 cross-border cooperation between Romania and Bulgaria will be modified, as a result of the Protocol signed by Romanian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development and Public Administration Liviu Dragnea and Bulgarian Minister of Regional Development Desislava Terzieva on Friday in Ruse (northern Bulgaria), according to a release of the Romanian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration (MDRAP).
According to this source, the modification is the first step of a procedure that will allow new eligible projects to get European financing through the 2007-2013 Romania-Bulgaria Programme.
'The main goal of the amendment of the Memorandum for the Romania-Bulgaria Programme is overcontracting at programme level; it will contribute to the increase of the rate of utilization of funds per programme, in order to avoid the risk of losing appropriations,' Dragnea stated.
MDRAP mentions that the Management Authority will be able to sign financing contracts of a total non-reimbursable value greater than the overall programme budget.
'The need for overcontracting results from the fact that generally the implementation of projects results in savings, so their end value is smaller than initially estimated. The advantage of overcontracting resides in the fact that it compensates such future savings; the result is the avoiding of the risk of Romania losing sums allocated in the programme,' MDRAP's release explains.
The quoted document also announces the signing of another important document by the two officials, the Memorandum of understanding between the Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development and MDRAP for the cooperation in the field of regional development.
The Memorandum covers the cooperation at local public authorities' level, the cooperation for implementing European regional development policies , for the process of regionalization and durable development, for the territorial cooperation and for the management of the territorial cooperation programme.
The two countries will also cooperate through the specialized ministries to implement cross-border and macro-regional strategies, to fight corruption in joint programmes, and to develop mechanisms concerning the policy of regional development and the management of the various financial instruments for the implementation of joint projects.
The two memorandums were signed in Ruse during the joint meeting of the Romanian and Bulgarian Governments.