The name of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been mentioned in Bulgaria’s latest political scandal. In the 5-hour recording, former Prime Minister Kirill Petkov tells his party members about the course of the talks with Von der Leyen about Bulgaria’s participation in Schengen and the eurozone, according to the Euractiv portal.
The recording features Petkov’s voice quoting his party colleagues (he is the leader of the We Continue Changes-Democratic Bulgaria coalition) from his conversation with Von der Leyen on May 21 about Bulgaria’s chances of joining the the Schengen and Eurozone. Petkov said that during the meeting the head of the EC told him:
You have a very good chance for the Schengen area. When it comes to the Eurozone, you have to figure out how to get around the rules. In terms of how to submit.
What did von der Leyen say?
In the recording, the former prime minister can be heard replying, “Can we have (estimate of) inflation minus the effect of (war) in Ukraine.” Von der Leyen would reply:
Listen to me, we’ll try to help you.
On Saturday, the European Commission confirmed that von der Leyen and Petkov had spoken and “discussed important issues (…), including Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone and Schengen”.
There is a clearly structured process for joining the Eurozone that applies to all countries. The role of the Commission is to support the implementation of the criteria. It goes without saying that the rules must be followed
– stated the Commission, quoted by Bulgarian National Radio.
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce