At the forum of the Heads of State of the Arraiolos group Rumen Radev called on the EU to focus also on the problems of security stemming from the processes in Europe

The EU needs a much more efficient decision making mechanism, particularly in critical situations. More often than not the crises have already become a fact and we manage to reach consensus on a decision in Europe in a year’s time. This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said at the meeting of the Heads of State of the Arraiolos group, which is underway in the capital of Latvia, Riga. The forum for political dialogue unites 14 presidents of EU member states – Portugal, Germany, Latvia, Finland, Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia, Malta, Bulgaria, Croatia and Greece and this year is dedicated to security issues.

The Bulgarian President emphasized that even when crises that affect all member states arise, the EU not always manages to unite and seek a sustainable long-term solution. In Rumen Radev’s words, this is particularly valid regarding migration. “If we put all our efforts in making Europe a fortress and we fail to address the reasons for migration, we risk losing this fortress. The EU should export not only goods, but it should also practically support the development of education, culture and social stability in the countries of origin of the migrants,” the President emphasized.  

The Head of State called on the member states to reconsider the adopted approaches to security, which does not depend only on the exchange of information between the security services but also on the EU’s ability to defend its positions on the international arena. In President Radev’s opinion, without an adequate defense capacity, the EU cannot possibly ensure the security of the member states from the neighboring regions that keep generating risks and provoking migration flows.

We should also answer the question as to whether we have sufficiently adequate mechanisms to identify and avoid potential crises not only outside but also inside Europe, in societies and vis-à-vis the current social and economic processes, Rumen Radev further said. The Head of State added that the countries in the world are not divided into big and small, but in terms of the ambitions and goals they set themselves in promoting their interest.