There is no reason to keep Bulgaria outside the Schengen zone, Prime Minister of Portugal Pedro Passos Coelho said during a meeting with Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev. The talks took place on the first day of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development "Rio +20", held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Bulgaria has met the criteria for membership and it is time for it to enter Schengen, Coelho said, expressing hope that this issue for Bulgaria would soon be resolved.

Measures to promote economic growth in Europe and the necessary reforms were the main topic during the meeting. The Prime Minister of Portugal briefed the Bulgarian President on steps taken by the Portuguese government to tackle the crisis and said that he expected that in the coming months they would bring positive news in the financial markets. Regarding the situation in Greece after the June 17 elections, President Plevneliev and Prime Minister Coelho shared the view that the new Greek government would need strong political support and more time to carry out the necessary reforms.

The President emphasised that Bulgaria’s main priority is e-government and completion of administrative reform. These are key to creating growth potential and Bulgaria has undertaken a series of measures to implement them, President Plevneliev said. Portugal is one of the first countries in the EU which has put all registers online. The country has already presented to  Bulgaria its experience in introducing “one stop” company registration “in an hour”.

Portuguese President Cavaco Silva will visit Bulgaria in September. One purpose of the visit will be to strengthen economic ties and the establishment of closer contacts between businesses from both sides.

The economic crisis in Europe was the main topic of the meeting between President Rosen Plevneliev and the Head of State of Monaco, Prince Albert II, who said that the principality was coping with the challenges. President Plevneliev said that the way out of the crisis is in creating new opportunities for economic growth, which must not be based on “mountains” of debt at the expense of future generations. For this reason, Bulgaria is focusing on investments in technology and innovation, creating products with high added value.

Prince Albert II reiterated his interest in Bulgarian winter resorts and conditions for winter sports in the country. Bulgaria has proven that it has the capacity to organize future competitions of the highest rank, Albert II said at the meeting, and confirmed his desire to visit Bulgaria soon.

On the second day of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, President Rosen Plevneliev will make a statement to the participants.