Meeting of the EU Club at BCCI dedicated to the assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the EU by Portugal

The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry again gathered diplomats, journalists, representatives of the business community, the public and non-governmental sector at a meeting of the EU Club to welcome the Portuguese Republic on the occasion of its assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The meeting was traditionally opened by the President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov and moderated by Prof. Ingrid Shikova, longtime President of the EU Club.

For the second time in the history of the EU Club, the meeting of the participants was held online. Nearly 80 of its members gathered to discuss the European Union’s short-term prospects.

At the beginning of the meeting, the results achieved during the presidency of the Council of the EU by the Republic of Germany in the second half of 2020 were presented by York Schuegraf, Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy.

Over the next six months, Europe will seek to recover from the crisis, focusing its efforts on three main areas: supporting the climate and digital transition, implementing the Social Pillar of the European Union as a key element for ensuring this transition, and strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy in the context of its openness to the world. These priorities of the Portuguese Presidency were presented to the members of the EU Club by H.E. Ana Maria Ribeiro da Silva, Ambassador of Portugal to Bulgaria.

Tsvetan Kyulanov, acting Head of the EC’s Representation in Bulgaria, also took part in the conference and spoke on the topic “Climate and digital transition in the context of the Recovery plan for Europe”.

The participants in the conference expressed their support and confidence in the successful presidency of the Council of the EU by the Portuguese Republic. The next country to take over the rotating presidency will be Slovenia.