Member of the European Commission - Maroš Sefcovic - Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration

V-P Šefčovič visits Bulgarian parliament

The free movement of workers, the extension of the Schengen area and the co-operation and verification mechanism assessing the country's progress on judicial and other reforms will top the agenda for V-P Maroš Šefčovič's visit to the Bulgarian parliament on Thursday 9 February.

Invited by the chair of the Bulgarian parliament's European Affairs Committee, Monika Panayotova, V-P Šefčovič will also hold meetings with Nikolay Mladenov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Tsetska Tsacheva, President of the National Assembly during his time in Sofia.

The Vice-President will debrief the Bulgarian minister on the results on the recent informal European Council and reiterate the Commission's proposals for the next multi-annual financial framework and the measures put forward recently by President Barroso to stimulate growth and competitiveness. Bulgaria's progress towards full membership of the Schengen area will also be discussed.

Discussions with Tsetka Tsacheva and Monika Panayotova will focus on the importance of increasing dialogue between the Commission and national parliaments, the role that parliament can play in ensuring that the Bulgarian government meets its European commitments (particularly with regard to the judicial reforms and fight against corruption as highlighted by the CVM) and the progress towards the free movement of workers from Bulgaria across the EU.

Speech: When European affairs become domestic affairs: the role of national parliaments in the EU