The 12th meeting of the presidents of the countries from the Arraiolos Group will be held on 14 September in the Regional Ethnographic Museum in the town of Plovdiv and on 15 September in the National History Museum in Sofia.

 

Within the forum the state leaders of the parliamentary republics in the EU will discuss the future of united Europe and of the Balkans and also the challenges we are facing today – the migratory crisis, fighting terrorism, Europe after Brexit. On 15 September the participants in the top-level meeting will give a joint news conference in house 2 of the Boyana residence in Sofia. 

 

At the Head of State’s invitation the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck; of Italy Sergio Mattarella, of the Republic of Latvia Raimonds Vejonis; of the Republic of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca; of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda; of the Portuguese Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa; of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor; of the Republic of Hungary Janos Ader and of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinisto will visit Bulgaria.   

 

The format will also be attended by the presidents of Austria and Estonia. Bulgaria was invited to join the Arraiolos Group by Poland and Portugal in 2013 and our country was unanimously selected to be host of its next meeting at the group’s meeting in Germany in 2015.  

 

The informal forum for a top-level political dialogue was established in 2003 in the Portuguese town of Arraiolos by the then incumbent president of the country Jorge Sampaio. The format gathers the presidents of the European counties who do not represent their countries in the Council of Europe. The presidents of the EU parliamentary republics discuss topical issues and problems of united Europe.