EXPERIENCE OF BULGARIA IN THE

PREPARATION AND HOLDING OF THE

ROTATING PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION 2018

How UNITED WE STAND STRONG

Sofia
December
2018
Content

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Preparation for the Presidency......................................................................................................... 5
2.1. Institutional organisation ......................................................................................................... 5
2.2. Programme for development of competences of the Presidency team .................................... 9
2.3. Volunteers ............................................................................................................................. 10
3. Political Issues ............................................................................................................................... 12
3.1. The Trio Programme ............................................................................................................. 12
3.2. Programme and Priorities of the Republic of Bulgaria for the Presidency of the Council of
the European Union ........................................................................................................................... 14
3.3. National mechanism for coordination of the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian
Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2018 ............................................................... 16
3.4. Coordination board on issues relating to the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council 2018 18
3.5. European Parliament ............................................................................................................. 20
3.6. Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union ................... 24
3.6.1. Composition and structure of the Permanent Representation........................................ 25
3.6.2. Powers and activities of the Permanent Representation ................................................ 26
3.6.3. Main phases of the preparation and implementation of the Bulgarian Presidency ....... 26
3.6.4. Preparation and conduction of a session of the Council working group ....................... 27
3.6.5. Preparation and conduction of a session of COREPER ................................................ 28
3.6.6. Preparation and conduction of interinstitutional negotiations (trialogues) .................... 29
3.6.7. Coordination and mechanisms for interaction with the capital, with the EU institutions
and the member states ................................................................................................................... 30
4. Events in Bulgaria ......................................................................................................................... 31
4.1. Calendar................................................................................................................................. 31
4.2. Protocol ................................................................................................................................. 35
4.3. Delegate accreditation ........................................................................................................... 35
4.4. Translations ........................................................................................................................... 36
4.5. Logistics ................................................................................................................................ 37
4.6. Sponsorship ........................................................................................................................... 38
4.7. Promotional materials............................................................................................................ 39
5. Communication ............................................................................................................................. 40
5.1. Communication plan and team .............................................................................................. 40
5.2. Logo and visual identity ........................................................................................................ 41
5.3. Internet site and social media ................................................................................................ 42
5.4. Public communication – national and regional dimension .................................................... 43

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 5.5. Work with the Media ............................................................................................................. 47
5.6. International Press Center...................................................................................................... 48
6. Budget ........................................................................................................................................... 51
7. Conclusions and Recommendations .............................................................................................. 52

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 1. Introduction

The preparation for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) is multi-
aspect process having political, institutional, administrative, legal, organisational and
coordination and logistic dimensions. This is so because the Presidency fulfils simultaneously
several important functions: an honest broker that seeks compromises and proposes mutually
acceptable solutions in the complicated and complex legislative process in the EU; an
administrator coordinator that is responsible for the preparation and coordination of the work
of the Council of the EU and for the conduct of the numerous meetings in different formats of
the Council and its preparatory bodies; a representative of the EU Council in international
negotiations and in its relations with the other European institutions; and a political leader that
defines political priorities in the European agenda constituting the focus of attention in the six-
month period. The rotating Presidency is an intense negotiation process: a complex combination
of institutional interests, government preferences, leadership strategies and regulatory
procedures for reaching agreements and policy making.
The country holding the Presidency, together with the other two States which
consecutively hold the mandate of a President of the EU Council are part of the so-called Trio.
From this point of view, the important task of the Presidency is to formulate its actions in an
18-month timeframe and to build further on the successful work and/or to pass on the baton of
the agenda initiatives to the following Presidency. The 18-month program ensures a future-
oriented plan which centres around the legitimate expectations of the EU citizens to jointly
address the common complex challenges and strengthen the confidence in an Union that is
closer to them.
The first Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union was from 1 January
to 30 June 2018. This was a period of making strategic decisions in view of the key stage of the
European project development, when the debate on the future of Europe takes place and the EU
transforms many of its policies to be adequate to the new realities. This period was exclusively
dynamic given the fact that 2018 was the last full year of the current mandate of the European
Parliament (EP) and the European Commission (EC) and this gave rise to expectations for
progress in the numerous key legislative proposals and initiatives subject to negotiations.
As a rotating Presidency of the EU Council, Bulgaria was an honest broker and worked
to find common solutions in response of the expectations of Europe and the EU citizens, in a
spirit of transparency and in close cooperation with the Member States and all EU institutions,
following the motto of the Bulgarian Presidency ‘United we stand strong’ which reflects the
Bulgarian history and statehood, and the idea of a united and solidarity-based Europe.
In order to guarantee the democratic legitimation of the European agenda, the Bulgarian
Presidency relied heavily on the parliamentary dimension given the significant role of the
European Parliament and of the national parliaments after the Treaty of Lisbon in shaping and
implementing the European policies, as well as the close cooperation with the civil society,
business, academia, regional and local authorities, so that it could fulfil its ambition to be
Presidency that is ‘open to citizens’.
The rotating Presidency of the EU Council may never be planned and implemented two
times in the same manner because its preparation, operation and outcomes affect many factors

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of various nature, such as: the natural continuity of work between the Presidencies; the period
of Presidency (beginning, middle or end of the mandate of the main co-legislative institutions);
the political environment in the Member States and internationally. Nevertheless, during the
preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency experience was gained, which should be
shared and understood in terms of best practices and possibilities for both improvement of
structures and processes in the operation of Bulgarian institutions and preparation of further
rotating Presidencies of the EU Member States. In this context, this analysis aims at presenting
key aspects of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council: conclusions and
recommendations in the course of its implementation.
The structure of this analysis follows the topics and its consecutive sections describe the
preparation of the Presidency focused on the institutional organisation, the regulatory
framework, the separate directions of coordination and organisational nature, the funding for
each activity, the trainings for the team members; the political issues focused on the
development of the Programme of the Presidency Trio (Estonia-Bulgaria-Austria) and the
Bulgarian Presidency Programme, the national coordination mechanism, the interaction with
the European Parliament, and the activity of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of
Bulgaria with the EU; the arrangement and conduct of the events included in the Calendar of
Bulgarian Presidency in Bulgaria and all related organisational and logistic issues; the
communication strategy focused on the choice of a logo and visual identity, the public
communication in its national and regional dimension, work with the media, the organisation
of an international press centre.
The analysis ends with conclusions and recommendations from the Bulgarian experience
in the preparation and holding of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council that may be
useful to the institutions in their work on European issues and to the further rotating Presidency
teams of the Member States, as well as of use for researchers from the civil society and the
academia.

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 2. Preparation for the Presidency
2.1. Institutional organisation
By National Assembly Decisions of 4 May 2017 on the adoption of the structure of the
Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria and on the appointment of the Council of
Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council
of the European Union 2018 was set up and the Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the European Union 2018 was elected, which was a clear political sign of the
significance of preparation and holding of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council
2018.
This decision was made after going through different challenges and attempts to find the
most suitable institutional organisation in the years of preparation for the Presidency. On the
one hand, this was justified by the need to hold the Bulgarian Presidency six months earlier
because of the United Kingdom’ withdrawal from the EU, and by the change of several
governments in the period of preparation and the need to substantially catch up with the backlog
and to speed up the completion of the preparation and the holding of the Presidency itself. Thus,
the mechanism of full decentralisation with thematic working groups- Council of Ministers
Decision No 425 of 10 June 2015, going through the National Centre for Preparation of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 with the Council of Ministers
(Council of Ministers Decision No 171 of 2016 which worked in separate directions with
working groups thereto, was replaced with a centralised approach by setting up a Ministry of
the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018.
By Council of Ministers Decree No 100 of 2017 , the Rules of Procedure of the Ministry
of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 was adopted. This
decree governs the legal relationships related to the transformation of the National Centre for
the Preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 by its
incorporation in the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018, and
the necessary amendments to the legal framework.
The Rules of Procedure of the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of
the European Union 2018 sets out the organisation, procedure, functions and staff headcount of
the Ministry and its administrative units.
The Minister of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 is
a central individual authority of the executive which coordinates and directs the policy of the
Republic of Bulgaria as a Member State of the European Union in connection with the
preparation and exercise of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
2018. The Minister is the national coordinator for the preparation and holding of the Presidency
and carries out the overall coordination, management and control of the activities related to the
preparation and holding of the Presidency. In the implementation of the government political
programme, the development of draft statutory instruments and the exercise of the Minister’s
powers, the Minister is supported by two Deputy Ministers. One of the Deputy Ministers is
specially designated to be in charge of the European Parliament (EP) affairs, and to attend, take
part in and represent the Bulgarian Presidency in the EP plenary sessions.
The Ministry includes 4 Directorates, an Inspectorate, an Internal Audit Unit and a
Financial Controller. The Secretary General carries out the administrative management of the
Ministry’s administration in compliance with the laws. The general administration is organised
in Finance and Administrative Affairs Directorate and Legal and Public Procurement
Directorate. The specialised administration is organised in Preparation and Holding of

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Presidency Directorate and Communication and Press Centre Directorate. The staff headcount
is 70 as per the Ministry’s establishment plan.

Scheme 1: Structure of the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
By Council of Ministers Decree No 114 of 2016 a national mechanism for coordination
of the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European
Union 2018 was set up. This is the regulatory act which determines the bodies responsible for
the separate directions of the Presidency and their respective duties. Pursuant to that Decree:
The Council of Ministers directs and implements the policy of the Republic of Bulgaria
as a Member State of the European Union in connection with the preparation and holding of
the Presidency.
The National Coordinator for the preparation and exercise of the Presidency is the
Minister of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018.
Coordinators of the main directions of the preparation and holding of the Presidency
are:
1. the Minister of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018 responsible
for: the logistics and a Presidency team; the priorities and the Presidency programme
supported by the European Union Affairs Coordination Directorate within the
administration of the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in
coordination with the members of the Council for European Affairs; the Presidency
infrastructure and facilities in coordination with the Secretary General of the Council
of Ministers, the Secretary General of the National Assembly, the Executive
Director of National Palace of Culture – Congress Centre EAD, and the Mayor of
the Sofia Municipality;
2. the Minister of Interior in coordination with the Head of the of the National Guards
Unit responsible for the security of the Presidency;
3. the Minister of Finance responsible for the budget of the Presidency;
4. the Minister of Foreign Affairs responsible for the communication strategy of the
Presidency;
5. the Minister of Culture responsible for the cultural programme of the Presidency, in
coordination with the Mayor of the Sofia Municipality regarding events held in Sofia

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 and with the Minister of Foreign Affairs regarding the international aspects of the
cultural programme.
The coordinators, on a regular basis and when required, provide information on the
progress of measures taken within their competence and included in the National Coordinator’s
Plan for preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018.
The main activities at the early stage of the preparation for the Presidency (2014 – 2016)
include as follows:
- Analysing the experience of other Member States which held rotating Presidency, by
reviewing their statutory, planning and analytical documents;
- Organising working visits and meetings for exchange of expertise in Member States;
- Establishing contacts with the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU (GSC);
- Establishing working contacts with the Trio partners;
- Planning measures to enhance the administrative capacity on European Union affairs and
preparation of a training programme;
- Developing draft regulatory instruments addressing the mechanism of work during the
Presidency;
- Developing a draft Plan for preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency.
By Decision No 580 of 31 July 2015 the Council of Ministers adopted a Plan for
preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018. The Plan
sets out the specific measures, the responsible officials and the timeframes for their
implementation.
By Protocol Decision of the Council of Ministers of 16 September 2015 the National
Palace of Culture (NDK) and the Boyana Residence were determined to be appropriate facilities
for holding the events of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018.
In the period May - December 2017 the main regulatory instruments and documents
regarding the Presidency were adopted and the respective amendments to existing instruments
and documents were made:
- The position of the Republic of Bulgaria for the General Affairs Council was approved by
the Council of Ministers in Protocol No 26 at a meeting held on 14 June 2017. On 20 June
2017, in Luxemburg, the General Affairs Council approved the 18-month programme of
the rotating Presidency Trio (Estonia-Bulgaria-Austria) for the period 1 July 2017 – 31
December 2018 ;
- Council of Ministers Decision No 387 of 13 July 2017 adopting a draft Programme of the
Republic of Bulgaria for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (1 January -
30 June 2018);
- Council of Ministers Decision No 415 of 28 July 2017 adopting a draft Partnership
Agreement for organisation of the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of
the Council of the European Union 2018;
- Council of Ministers Decision No 422 of 31 July 2017 adopting the Cultural Programme
for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018;
- Council of Ministers Decision No 439 of 4 August 2017 approving Guidelines for planning
and organising events to be held in Bulgaria during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council

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 of the European Union 2018 included in the Cultural Programme for the Bulgarian
Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018;
- Council of Ministers Decision No 440 of 4 August 2017 approving a slogan of the Bulgarian
Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018;
- Council of Ministers Decision No 508 of 8 September 2017 approving a Guide for Council
of Ministers members regarding the relations between the rotating Presidency of the Council
of the European Union and the European Parliament during the preparation and holding of
the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 ;
- Protocol No 38 of the Council of Ministers meeting held on 7 September 2017, point 15,
approving a draft Agreement for administrative cooperation between the Directorate
General for Interpretation (DGI) of the European Commission and the Ministry of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 in the field of conference
interpretation ;
- Council of Ministers Decree No 190 of 2017 setting up a Coordination Board of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018;
- Council of Ministers Decision No 753 of 6 December 2017 adopting the Programme of the
Republic of Bulgaria for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (1 January -
30 June 2018);
- Council of Ministers Decision No 788 of 20 December 2017 adopting a report on the
implementation of the Plan for preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of
the European Union 2018 by 15 December 2017 ;
- Council of Ministers Decision No 817 of 29 December 2017 approving the Calendar of
Events of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 to be held
in the Republic of Bulgaria.
The following acts were amended in the abovementioned period according to the
developments: Council of Ministers Decree No 67 of 2017 approving the estimate allocation of
expenditure related to the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council
of the European Union 2018 and additional expenditure for 2017; Council of Ministers Decree
No 114 of 2016 setting up a national mechanism for coordination of the preparation and holding
of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018; Council of Ministers
Decree No 85 of 2007 for coordination of European Union affairs; Council of Ministers
Decision No 580 of 31 July 2015 adopting a Plan for preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the European Union 2018; Council of Ministers Decision No 154 of 16 March
2017 determining the number of officials from European Union institutions seconded to support
the exercise of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 .
In addition, numerous administrative and statutory procedures were adopted, such as:
- The design of the visual identity of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU was
approved by a decision of the Interdepartmental Group for development of a
Communication Plan;
- Reports to the Prime Minister were prepared and approved regarding the following issues:
ensuring security, transport and passage through the Sofia Airport for heads of delegations
and their respective delegations and for some other categories of participants in the events
included in the Calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
2018, within the meaning of the National Guards Unit Act;
- The teams of speakers from the Ministries were determined;

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- Interdepartmental coordination teams for each event included in the Calendar of the
Bulgarian Presidency were determined;
- All procedures under the Public Procurement Act were prepared and conducted so that to
ensure the logistics and the protocol service for participants in events included in the
Calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The initial phase of preparation process of such dimension, especially when no previous
experience is available, often follows a mechanism that is subsequently changed. The choice of
either centralised or decentralised model is frequently of key significance. In the light of the
experience gained, a conclusion could be made that setting up a specialised Ministry for the
purposes of the Presidency was a good functioning model. Another positive aspect that
facilitated the successful preparation of the Presidency was the use of the existing coordination
mechanism on the EU affairs which proved to be well-functioning and included all involved
ministries and institutions.

2.2. Programme for development of competences of the Presidency team

During the preparation for the Presidency an analysis was made of the existing
administrative capacity in connection with the fulfilment of the duties arising from the functions
of the rotating Presidency. The posts in the units in charge of European affairs within the
responsible ministries and institutions were 462 as per their establishment plans, of which 427
were effectively held. Outside the coordination units on European affairs within the
administration, 1257 employees were engaged to different extents. About 1600 employees in
total from the responsible ministries and institutions were engaged in the preparation and
holding of the Presidency.
Recruiting an additional administrative capacity from European institutions by engaging
European officials for the purposes of the rotating Presidency also contributed significantly to
the strengthening of the Presidency team. Nineteen (19) officials were engaged for the purposes
of the Bulgarian Presidency: three from the GSC, two from the EP, and fourteen from the EC.
For the purposes of developing a training programme aimed at improving the
competences of the Presidency team, a Methodology was made for assessment of professional
qualities and skills of individuals proposed to be included in the Bulgarian Presidency team. A
centralised system for examination of English language proficiency of the Presidency team
members was developed. An online System for training and assessment of the Presidency team
was created in order to ensure better structuring of information, easier access to the information
and better possibility to make checks and extract statistical data. Each team member had a
profile created in the system containing details, including scores from the Methodology for
assessment of professional qualities and skills and information about the required trainings for
him or her to attend.
The programme for development of the Presidency team competences included two types
of trainings: trainings conducted by the European Union institutions, in particular the General
Secretariat of the Council, and trainings within the national training programme. These two
types of trainings were related to a large extent. The trainings by the General Secretariat of the
Council were intended to make employees aware of main issues regarding the Presidency, such
as the role and functions of the rotating Presidency, the GSC’s role in supporting the operations
of the Presidency, the procedural rules of the Council of the EU, the relations of the Council of
the EU with the European Parliament and the European Commission from the perspective of
the Presidency, etc. The purpose of these trainings was to provide employees with key

9
knowledge about the upcoming Presidency and to be the basis of the specialised courses
conducted by the national training institutions.
The trainings within the national training programme were conducted by the Institute of
Public Administration and the Diplomatic Institute with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and
the courses were financed mainly by two projects under the Good Governance Operational
Program. The trainings were specialised per main topics closely related to the work of the
Presidency team members. While the briefings of the EU institutions provided important
practical information on the operation of the European institutions, the briefings held by the
Bulgarian training institutions were focused on the development of key skills of the Bulgarian
officials necessary for the fulfilment of their functions during the Presidency, and included
many simulations and practical exercises. They were also conducted in partnership with leading
European institutions for preparation of experts and officials in the public administration. The
trainings ensured by the Institute of Public Administration were realised under a project of the
Institute by an association of the European Institute of Public Administration and the French
Academy of Public Administration.
The main target group of the training programmes included the chairpersons of the
preparatory bodies of the Council of the EU focusing on practical trainings for development of
skills for negotiation, mediation, reconciling, dispute resolution, and on the development of
their ‘soft skills’, i.e. personal qualities and skills related to work in an intercultural
environment, such as cooperation, adaptability and flexibility, communication skills, etc. The
trainings were also focused on capabilities of a mere practical and organisational nature, such
as skills for task management, time management, results-oriented approach. As a result, after
the Bulgarian Presidency team was determined, all officials from the Permanent Representation
assigned to be chairpersons or deputy chairpersons of preparatory bodies of the Council of the
EU attended trainings for preparation in the following directions: on the merits (by the GSC),
for development of key competences relating to the holding of the Presidency’s functions
(under the National Training Programme), and for communication skills and work in an
interinstitutional environment (by the European Parliament).
As a result of the trainings for development of competences of the Presidency team, the
trainees gained important skills necessary for successful negotiation from the standpoint of
Presidency.

2.3. Volunteers
The use of a volunteer team as an additional resource is a successful practice in many
Member States which held the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the recent years.
Related to the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018 volunteers were also
selected and trained, and they were assigned various logistic, organisational and coordination
tasks related to meeting, seeing off, accommodating, accompanying and providing information
to foreign delegations. The volunteers were the first to establish a contact with arriving guests
and foreign delegations in our country, played a key role in the formation of impressions about
the country, and were a kind of ambassadors of the Bulgarian Presidency.
The preparation for forming a volunteer team included development of an advertisement,
rules and an indicative schedule for recruitment and selection of volunteers for the purposes of
the Bulgarian Presidency. Given the lack of a law on volunteering, but in order to solicit a broad
range of active and motivated individuals to be involved with desire and responsibility in
volunteering for the Presidency, a number of steps were taken governing the selection and

10
inclusion of volunteers in the team. The Representation of the European Commission in the
Republic of Bulgaria and the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the
European Union 2018 signed a Cooperation Programme 2017-2018, which provided for
assistance by the Representation in the process of recruitment of volunteers within the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018. A number of meetings were
held with representatives of the Council of Rectors of higher education establishments and with
members of the National Assembly of Students’ Councils at which the option of recruiting
volunteers among students in higher education establishments in the country was discussed.
The volunteer team for the Bulgarian Presidency was selected on the basis of a
competition which included two stages: a selection based on qualifications and an interview
with short-list candidates. The number of volunteers selected for the first Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the EU 2018 was 147.
For the regulation of volunteering, the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the EU 2018 prepared a set of documents: Volunteer Declaration, Agreement for
volunteering within the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018, Volunteer Charter
and Guidelines for volunteering.
Volunteering was secured by a special training programme which aimed to guarantee a
good-quality performance by the selected team of their assigned duties. The programme
included: training conducted by the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the
EU 2018 on the EU institutional system, the role and powers of the rotating Presidency, the
Programme of the Trio and of the Bulgarian Presidency, volunteers’ functions, rights and
obligations, logistics, and the Calendar of Events; training on the protocol and etiquette
conducted by the Diplomatic Institute and the State Protocol Directorate of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs; first aid training conducted by the Bulgarian Red Cross.
Volunteers selected for the first Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018 were
divided in three main groups: volunteers accompanying high-level delegations; volunteers
working at helpdesks; volunteers supporting the International Press Centre of the Presidency.
Good practices applied in the organisation of volunteering are the use of digital tools,
such as Google Drive where volunteers could specify days and times when they were available,
the creation of a Facebook group, preparing weekly practical information, etc. This significantly
facilitated communication between volunteers and the team of the Ministry of the Bulgarian
Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018, which allowed easy organisation of upcoming
events, allocation of engagements per days and locations, created the sense of community
within the team, and supported teambuilding.
Volunteering for the Presidency allowed young people to join the Bulgarian Presidency
team in a landmark moment for Bulgaria, namely the period of the first Presidency of the
Council of the EU which occurs once in 14 years. The volunteering program provided young
people with opportunities and practical benefits regarding work in an intercultural environment
with people sharing the European dream, an opportunity to gain organisational and
communication skills and competences in the implementation of events at the highest
international level, to exercise and practise their language skills in communication with
Presidency guests, an opportunity to be a part of a network of friends in Europe and to make
contacts with representatives of the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the
EU 2018, the embassies of the Member States, the responsible ministries and institutions, which
will be kept thereafter. Volunteers also had the opportunity to develop their ‘soft skills’
regarding teamwork, time management, communication in a multilanguage and multicultural
environment communicating with foreign delegations at the highest level, to apply their
language skills communicating with people of various nationalities, occupations and culture,

11
but all sharing the common vision of a United Europe. This experience was an opportunity to
create advantageous conditions for volunteers’ employment prospects.

3. Political Issues
3.1. The Trio Programme
The programme of the Council of the European Union for each trio of Member States
(the Trio Programme) is a focused political document based on the Strategic Agenda of the
European Union and the Programme of the European Commission, which highlights those
priority areas in the two documents, which the Presidency trio countries may unite around.
In keeping with the Trio Presidency’s programme, each of the three Member States
adopts a programme for the period of its Presidency, which sets out the country’s vision for the
political priorities it intends to focus on during the six-month period and includes the topics on
which it intends to actively work with a view to further developing and finalising issues during
its Presidency.

Contribution of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Trio Presidency’s Programme

In January 2016 the first draft paper setting out the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the EU was drafted, along with the draft Trio Programme, which was
subsequently updated in September 2016. It outlines four main priority areas: jobs, growth and
competitiveness; migration and security; efficient Energy Union and climate policy; European
Union on the global stage. On this basis the Contribution of the Republic of Bulgaria to the 18-
month programme of the Council of the EU (1 July 2017 – 31 December 2018), approved by
the European Affairs Council (EAC) under the jurisdiction of the Council of Ministers on
3 November 2016, was developed within the framework of the National Coordination
Mechanism on EU Affairs.
The document was developed in line with the Strategic Agenda of the EU and reflected
its structure, outlining in each of the five priority areas the topics identified as essential by the
Republic of Bulgaria, notably: 1. Union for jobs, growth and competitiveness; 2. Union that
empowers and protects all its citizens; 3. Towards an Energy Union with a forward-looking
climate policy; 4. Union of freedom, security and justice; 5. The Union as a powerful player on
the global stage.

Negotiations on the Trio Presidency’s Programme

On 20 December 2016 the Secretary-General of the Council distributed the first Draft
Trio Programme, developed on the basis of the contributions of the three Presidency Trio
countries. It was sent for comments and notes to the members of the Council for European
Affairs (CEA). In addition, the EU Affairs Coordination Directorate in the administration of
the Council of Ministers organised several sectoral meetings, which provided further
opportunities to discuss and finetune the comments received in the framework of the draft
consultation in the European Affairs Council. On 27 February 2017 the contribution of the
European External Action Service (EEAC) to the external action dimension of the programme
was also distributed.

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 On 13 March 2017 the Council for European Affairs adopted guidelines on the
participation of the Republic of Bulgaria in the consultations on the first draft of the Trio
Presidency’s programme.
On 14 March 2017, consultations on the first draft of the 18-month Programme of the
Council of EU (1 July 2017 – 31 December 2018) took place in Brussels with the participation
of diplomats from the Mertens and the Antici Groups of Estonia, Bulgaria and Austria and
representatives of the Secretariat-General, the European Commission and the European
External Action Service. The consultations in this format continued over the period March-May
2017 with several rounds of discussions of the draft Trio Programme.
On 31 May 2017 another round of consultations between the Presidency Trio (Estonia,
Bulgaria and Austria) took place in Sofia. During the meeting, the Minister for the Bulgarian
Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 expressed Bulgaria’s satisfaction with
the excellent cooperation between the Trio countries during the entire process of consultations
and the results achieved. Following a discussion between representatives of the three countries,
the final text of the Programme for the Council of the European Union for the period 1 July
2017 – 31 December 2018 was confirmed and adopted by the General Affairs Council held on
20 June 2017.
The 18-month programme set out a wide range of forward-looking priorities focused on
the expectations of citizens, the joint efforts to address common challenges and achieve tangible
results. Its focus and the priorities themselves reflected the strategic agenda of the European
Union. The main highlights in the agenda were a Union of jobs, competitiveness and growth
with a focus on the single market, entrepreneurship and job creation, sustainable environment,
investing in the future, economic and monetary Union; a Union that empowers all citizens with
a focus on the social dimension and more specifically the European pillar for social rights, equal
treatment and non-discrimination, promoting social fairness, fight against poverty (including
child poverty) and social exclusion; gender equality; modernisation of education and training,
taking into account the role of teachers and school leaders, etc.; Energy Union with a future-
oriented climate policy; Union of freedom, security and justice and a powerful player on the
global arena with a focus on the implementation of the Global strategy on migration of the EU;
accession of the West Balkans to the EU; stabilisation in regions neighbouring the EU; and
cooperation, development and trade policy.
On 23 November 2018, the final meeting of the Council Presidency Trio Estonia-
Bulgaria-Austria took place to follow up on the progress achieved in pursuing the priorities set
out in the Trio Programme. As a sign of continuity, the forthcoming Romanian Presidency was
invited to the meeting as it will launch the next Trio Romania-Finland-Croatia in January 2019.
During the discussions an emphasis was placed on the continuity in the work of the three
Presidencies on most policies and legislative dossiers, which had an essential contribution to
the implementation of the programme and the results achieved. The Estonian Presidency has
laid the foundation for the final touches to the Single Digital Market initiative. The Digital
Europe theme remained a strategic priority for the Bulgarian Presidency, which achieved
progress in 9 out of 13 legislative initiatives and won clear recognition for its efforts. The
Austrian Presidency remained committed to the negotiations on the next Multi-annual financial
framework and kept up the pace of work of the Bulgarian Presidency. However, it became clear
that in addition to the stated priorities of each Presidency in which clear progress has been
achieved, a number of overarching themes remained on the agenda that require the efforts to
find efficient solutions that are acceptable to all member States, notably the Multi-annual
financial framework, migration, the draft legislative proposals for the transport sector, etc. to
continue during the next Presidency.

13
 The report on the topics and dossiers included in the 18-month Programme of the Council
of the EU (1 July 2017 – 31 December 2018) and on the development of negotiations of the
unclosed dossiers as at 30 June 2018 included in Bulgaria’s Programme for the Presidency of
the European Union was adopted with a Decision of the Council of Ministers.
3.2. Programme and Priorities of the Republic of Bulgaria for the Presidency
of the Council of the European Union
On the basis of the 18-month programme of the Council of the European Union (1 July
2017 – 31 December 2018), which set out both the specific priorities of the Presidency Trio
Estonia – Bulgaria – Austria and the strategic priorities of the European Union to achieve
tangible, visible results in response to the expectations of citizens for greater security,
employment, sustainable growth and stronger presence of the Union as a player on the global
arena, each Trio country developed its own programme outlining the key priorities in its work
and the specific goals of the rotating Presidency within the different formats of the Council of
the European Union.
Bulgaria had the responsible task of taking over the rotating Presidency of the Council
at a time when the Union was facing up to a number of challenges and opportunities stemming
from globalisation and the new realities, including *the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and the
development of ICT; *climate change; and *the complex security environment. In connection
with this, upon launching the development of its Presidency Programme Bulgaria conducted an
in-depth analysis to define problems and the response of the European Union through certain
legislative and non-legislative initiatives to be negotiated during the rotating Presidency. The
analysis aimed to show that EU law and policies reflect and respond to certain processes,
development trends and expectations of EU citizens.
On 13 July 2017, the Draft Programme of the Republic of Bulgaria for the Presidency
of the Council of the European Union (1 January 2018 – 30 June 2019) was adopted. Following
the adoption of the draft programme by the Council of Ministers a public debate involving all
stakeholders, including the Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers, was launched. The draft
programme was presented to the sectoral committees of the Parliament and public consultations
with representatives of trade unions, employer organisations, sectoral and non-governmental
organisations, the academic circles, etc. were held. The public debate had a strong regional
dimension, presented in greater detail in Section 5.4 of this report. The aim of the public debate
was to reach a broad national consensus and agreement and ensure continuity on a range of
strategic topics of importance for Bulgaria and the European Union.
The final programme of the Republic of Bulgaria for the Presidency of the Council of
the European Union (1 January – 30 June 2018) was approved by the Council of Ministers on
6 December 2017. It was drafted within the framework of the EU decision-making coordination
mechanism on the basis of an in-depth analysis of the challenges faced by the EU, the EU
Council Strategic Programme, the initiatives form the Joint Declaration on the EU’s legislative
priorities1 and current legislation, taking into account the contribution of ministries and
institutions within their respective remit of competence and the sectoral diplomats at the
Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union as well as the
results of the public consultations held.

1
It is adopted at the end of the calendar year jointly the EU Council, the European Commission and the European
Parliament in the context of the Interinstitutional Agreement for Better Legislation signed in 2016 to outline the
major legislative initiatives on which the three institutions intent to achieve significant progress and, where
possible, agreement in the forthcoming year.

14
 On 1 December 2017, the National Assembly (NA) adopted its Position on the
Programme of the Republic of Bulgaria for the Presidency of the Council of the European
Union (1 January – 30 June 2018), expressing its principal support, for the priorities outlined
in the draft Programme for Bulgaria’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union (Annex
No 23). The Parliament encouraged the government to work for the adoption of balanced
decisions with a view to preserving the unity among EU Member States and working towards
the strategic priorities of the EU while making efforts to achieve tangible results during the
Presidency.
Bulgaria’s Programme for the Presidency of the EU Council set out the political framework,
key messages and specific topics, which the country consistently pursued during the first six
months of 2018. It outlined the following four leading priorities:
- The future of Europe and young people with an emphasis on economic growth and social
cohesion;
- European perspective and connectivity of the Western Balkans;
- Security and stability in a strong and united Europe;
- Digital economy and skills for the future.

The topics dedicated to youth and security were formulated as horizontal priorities in view
of the complex nature of the challenges young people face and the highly complex security
environment. A special emphasis was placed on the perspective for EU membership and the
connectivity of the Western Balkans.

Implementation of Bulgaria’s Programme for the Presidency of the EU Council

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union provided Bulgaria with the
opportunity to place clear priorities of importance for Bulgaria and the EU high on the European
agenda. The Bulgarian Presidency has worked to identify common solutions in response to the
expectations of Europe and EU citizens for greater security, stability and solidarity, aiming in
the longer run to establish a strong, digital and unified Europe built on a solid foundation of
consensus, competitiveness and cohesion.
The Bulgarian representatives worked for the adoption of balanced decisions with a view
to preserving unity among Member States and implementing the strategic agenda of the
European Union while focusing their efforts on finding efficient solutions within the six-month
period of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council (1 January 2018 – 30 June 2018).
Taking into account the important role of the European Parliament and national
Parliaments after the Lisbon Treaty and the implementation of the European agenda, the
Bulgarian Presidency relied on a strong parliamentary dimension as a safeguard of the
democratic legitimacy of EU policies and the representation of the interests of EU citizens.
In keeping with its ambition to be a Presidency open to citizens, work involved close
cooperation with all municipal governors, mayors and representatives of local authorities,
including ambassadors of the European idea from the non-governmental sector and the
academic and the business communities thereby enabling Bulgarian citizens to gain first-hand
knowledge of the essence and goals of the Bulgarian Presidency. More detailed information
about this approach is set out in Section 5.4 of this analysis.
Owing to the efforts of all stakeholders in the process and the excellent coordination
within the Council for EU Affairs and the Coordination Board on the Bulgarian Presidency of
the EU Council the goals set in advance were overachieved in a number of sectors.

15
 The Presidency commenced on 1 January 2018 with 105 open legislative dossiers, with
an additional 30 proposals subsequently tabled by the European Commission.

A breakdown of the results achieved is set out below:

- 46 agreements reached with the European Parliament;

- 39 ‘common approaches’/negotiation mandates agreed with the European Parliament;
- 58 Council Conclusions;
- 1 Presidency Conclusion;
- 6 Council recommendations;
- 17 progress report, including 5 Presidency reports.

3.3. National mechanism for coordination of the preparation and holding of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2018
The national mechanism for coordination of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of
the European Union in 2018 was established within the framework of the already holding and
functioning mechanism for coordination of EU affairs2. The three levels of decision-making
were preserved, notably the Council of Ministers, the Council for European Affairs in its role
as an advisory body to the Council of Ministers and the 37 working groups in the different EU
policy areas. The Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the European Union 2018 acted as
national coordinator of the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council
of the European Union in 2018.

Figure 2: Mechanism for Coordination on EU Affairs

2
The Mechanism for coordination of EU Affairs was established by Decree No 85/2007 of the Council of
Ministers.

16
 The Council of Ministers is the highest decision-making level within the coordination
mechanism on EU affairs in Bulgaria. During the Bulgarian Presidency only the most important
political matters were discussed at its meetings, with the government approving the national
positions for all formal and informal meetings of the European Council and the various formats
of the Council of the European Union, as well as other strategic and planning documents
relating to the organisation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council.
The Deputy Prime Ministers and the Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU
Council in 2018 ensured the implementation of a coherent national policy on all matters relating
to the European Union3. The Ministers represented Bulgaria at the meetings of the EU Council
on matters within their respective remit of competence.
The Council for European Affairs (CEA) is an interinstitutional consultative body
chaired by the Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in
2018.
The members of the CEA are Ministers, the Permanent Representative and the Deputy
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union; the Head of the
Political Cabinet of the Prime Minister; the Head of EU Affairs Coordination Directorate in the
administration of the Council of Ministers; the Director-General of DG EU Affairs of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Head of Directorate Policies and Institutions of the European
Union of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Head of the Unit responsible for Procedural
Representation before the Court of Justice of the European Union; and the Heads of the 37
interinstitutional working groups of the CEA.
The of European Union Affairs Coordination Directorate in the administration of the
Council of Ministers acts as a Secretariat of the Council for European Affairs, providing the
necessary expert, organisation and technical support to enable the work of the Council.
Traditionally, regular CEA meetings take place weekly (each Monday) with the
possibility to convene extraordinary meetings. The proceedings and meetings of the Council
are fully electronic, which enables swift, efficient and smooth communication between all
stakeholders in the process of coordination of EU affairs. In practice, this means that all
materials for the meetings are sent to the members by e-mail via a dedicated web-based internet
platform.
The principal task of the EU affairs mechanism is conducting analyses and implementing
a coordinated policy in different areas, which is carried out by dedicated interinstitutional
groups set up within the competent ministries or other government agencies. A total of 37
sectoral working groups function within the framework of the coordination mechanism. Each
working group is chaired by, typically, the Head of the competent directorate of department at
the ministry responsible for a certain policy area and has a Secretary who arranges and enables
the work of the group. In addition, the respective working groups comprise representatives of
stakeholder non-government and sectoral organisations, representatives of the social partners,
civil society and the academic community.
This well-established mechanism enabled the coordinated involvement in the process of
decision-making at EU level in the context of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council,
enabling Bulgaria to successfully play the role of an impartial broker in the negotiations
between Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament.
The process of development and approval of Bulgaria’s positions on the issued on the EU
agenda as a ‘fiche’ template, developed specifically for the Bulgarian Presidency, proceeded

3
Pursuant to Decree No 85/2007 of the Council of Ministers

17
smoothly, contributing to the timely identification of possible scenarios for courses of action to
be taken in solutions based on a compromise. In connection with this, we may draw the
conclusion that ensuring that coordination remains as close as possible to the existing modus
operandi for addressing matters relating to the EU is a sound and reliable mechanism, which
with minimal adjustments allows a country to transition to more effective work methods that
are better aligned to the processes under way during a rotating Presidency.

3.4. Coordination Board of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council 2018

With a view to ensuring more efficient and effective coordination during the rotating
Presidency a Coordination Board of the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council in 2018 was
established4. Its goals included ensuring the operational follow-up on the negotiation process
with the participation of all stakeholders at political and expert level and fulfilment of the
Bulgaria’s commitments as part of the Presidency Trio.
The Coordination Board was chaired by the Deputy Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency
of the EU Council 2018 and its members included the Head of the Political Cabinet of the Prime
Minister or an advisor in the political cabinet designed by him; the Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs, the Deputy Ministers responsible for the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council
and/or other sectoral ministers, depending on their remit of competence for EU policies;
representatives of the senior management bodies of other government agencies and public
institutions, the Permanent Representative and the Deputy Permanent Representative of the
Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union; the Head of the European Union Affairs
Coordination Directorate in the administration of the Council of Ministers; the Head of the
European Union Policies and Institutions Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Coordination Board was responsible for the performance of five interconnected and
complementary tasks relating to the Presidency and based its actions and decisions on a
comprehensive analysis of the legislative process of the EU, proposing scenarios and making
relevant proposals. The five areas of competence of the Council are set out below:
- The Coordination Board monitored the development of negotiations within the EU Council
and its preparatory bodies and, when necessary, issued guidance on the conduct of
negotiations in line with the principles of neutrality, impartiality and seeking balanced
solutions within the respective framework positions;
- When necessary, the Coordination Board proposed to the Council for European Affairs
amendments to the framework positions on various issued (dossiers) deliberated by the EU
Council and its preparatory bodies;
- The Coordination Board held thematic meetings on draft acts (dossiers) of the EU and other
documents discussed within the EU decision-making process on priority topics for the
Bulgarian Presidency and issues such as employment and social policy, security and
migration, the Common Security and Defence Policy, the debate on the next Multiannual
financial framework, the negotiations on the proposals in the area of transport from the so-
called ‘Mobility package’, the proposal for a European Solidarity Corps, the Clean Energy
package of legislative proposals in the energy sector, the Digital Single Market, etc.;
- The Coordination Board has facilitated the preparation of the Deputy Minister for the
Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council for participation, on behalf of the Council, in the
plenary sessions of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and Brussels in the period 1
January 30 June 2018 in close cooperation with the relevant sectoral ministries and
government agencies and the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the

4
Established by Decree No 190 of the Council of Ministers of 1 September 2017.

18
 European Union through the timely and efficient exchange of information. After the plenary
session the Secretariat of the Board —the EU Affairs Coordination Directorate in the
administration of the Council of Ministers — communicated the Presidency’s statements in
the plenary hall to all members of the Board to ensure that they were kept up to date on the
latest political discussions in the European Parliament;
- The Coordination Board also performed a coordination function during the process of
preparation of the statements of Cabinet members at the (1) joint meeting with the College
of Commissioners held in Brussels on 8 November 2017; (2) the meeting with the
Presidency Council of the European Parliament on 21 November 2017; and (3) the thematic
(cluster) meetings with members of the European Commission on 12 January 2018.
In the case of identified political issues, which could not be discussed solely at technical
and expert level and with a view to the need to find effective solutions, the Coordination Board
was the format that ensured the coordination at political level of the positions of stakeholders
(sectoral ministries).
In summary, the Coordination Board acted as the platform enabling the direct contact
between Sofia and Brussels and between the political and expert level. On the basis of an in-
depth prior analysis the Board, acting jointly with the Council for European Affairs, facilitated
the setting of realistic yet ambitious goals and the development of scenarios where specific
challenges were identified during the negotiations.
In its work the Coordination Board demonstrated situational leadership — a flexible and
adaptive leadership style that is capable of responsible to all situations, depending on the
stakeholders involved.
As a result, owing to the excellent cooperation between Coordination Board members,
the Deputy Ministers in the Cabinet and the diplomats from Bulgaria’s Permanent
Representation to the EU, relying on videoconference during the meetings, a swift and efficient
exchange of information and seamless cooperation, the Board fulfilled jointly with the Council
for European Affairs, contributing to the successful implementation of the Programme of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2018.

19
Figure 3: Coordination mechanism on matters relating to the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European
Union 2018.

3.5. European Parliament

In the process of preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency special attention
was paid to the relations with the European Parliament. The Bulgarian Presidency was guided
by the understanding that the good cooperation with the European Parliament, its members,
committees and subsidiary bodies is for the benefit of its successful holding, because the so
called ‘legislative agora’ of the European Union is a guarantor for the democratic legitimacy of
the European agency.
The mutual relations with the European Parliament in the period of preparation and
implementation of the Bulgarian Presidency were in the following key aspects:
- Strengthening of the network of contacts with representatives of the European
Parliament and implementation of visits of the Conference of Presidents of the European
Parliament and of its members from the parliamentary committees in charge;
- Presentation of the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency and their achievement in the
beginning and in the end of the mandate before: *the Conference of Committee Chairs in the
European Parliament on the part of the minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of
the EU in 2018; *the members of the European Parliament in the plenary in Strasburg by the
prime-minster of the Republic of Bulgaria; *the committees of the European Parliament in

20
charge by the sectorial ministers and the deputy-minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the EU 2018 appointed to be in charge of the relations with the European Parliament;
- Representation of the Council of the EU in 29 debates during 8 plenary part-sessions of
the European Parliament in Strasburg and Brussels carried out by the deputy-minister for the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018, appointed to be in charge of the relations
with the European Parliament the European Parliament;
- Conduction of 163 trilateral negotiations with the European Parliament and the
European Commission (the so called trialogues) by the deputy-ministers in charge, the
permanent representative and/or the deputy-permanent representative of the Republic of
Bulgaria to the EU and the heads of the respective preparatory bodies of the Council of the EU.
 In the period of preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of
the EU in the context of the relations with the European Parliament the following key
activities were implemented:
Development of a Manual for the members of the Council of Ministers about the
relations between the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and the
European Parliament during the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the European Union in 2018
The aim of the Manual5 was to draw the attention of the members of the Council of
Ministers, their political cabinets and the representatives of the expert teams in the relevant
ministries in charge to their engagements before and during the Presidency with a focus on the
need to build open and effective relations with the European Parliament, its members,
committees and subsidiary bodies for the benefit of the successful accomplishment of the tasks
of Bulgaria as the state holding the presidency.
The manual served as a tool providing systemized information for the functions and tasks
of the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, for its interaction with the European
Parliament, as well as valuable practical recommendations for preparation of the members of
the Council of Ministers for the work with the European Parliament in the period before and
during the Presidency.
Strengthening of the network of contacts with the leading participants in the legislative
process from the European Parliament in accordance with the specific expertise of the
individual ministries
In the period of preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency the established tradition to
strengthen and develop the network of contacts of the ministries in charge with the leading
participants in the legislative process within the European Parliament in accordance with the
specific expertise of the individual ministries was adhered to. The contacts identified as
particularly important were the ones with the chairs of political groups, coordinators of political
groups in the committees in charge, chairs and deputy-chairs of committees in the European
Parliament, which are in charge for the respective ministry, rapporteurs and shadow-
rapporteurs.
The efforts invested in the development of the network of contacts for the ministers in
charge and the sectorial diplomats with the European Parliament were reflected in the results
from the work of the Bulgarian Presidency.
Preparation and implementation of the visit of the Conference of Presidents of the
European Parliament in Sofia, a month before the official start of the Presidency

5
Approved by Resolution No 508 of 8 September 2017 of the Council of Ministers.

21
 One of the most important official events, which are traditionally in the beginning of the
calendar of every Presidency, is the visit of the Conference of Presidents of the European
Parliament to the host capital, as it is of considerable importance for the establishment of
complete cooperation between the state holding the presidency of the Council of the EU and
the European Parliament as the directly elected legislative institution of the European Union.
The visit of the delegation of the European Parliament consisting of the President of the
European Parliament and chairs of the political groups is important in view of the political and
organizational functions of the Conference of Presidents. It organizes the activity of the
European Parliament and its bodies, issues an opinion on all issues concerning the legislative
agenda and the relations with the major bodies and institutions of the EU.
The visit included meetings with the prime-minister, the president, the President of the
National Assembly, a joint session with the Council of Ministers, a session in the National
Assembly, as well as a public event in the Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’ with the
participation of the President of the European Parliament, accompanied by the chairs of the
political groups, which was attended by university students, young people, representative of the
academic circles, of the civil sector, etc. The visit of the Conference of Presidents of the
European Parliament to Sofia allowed acquaintance of the representatives of the political
families in the European Parliament with the main priorities in the work of the forthcoming
Bulgarian Presidency and helped establish an atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation at the
top political level.
Visits of the committees of the European Parliament and individual visits of members
of the European Parliament to the capital
As a consistent practice, in the period of preparation, a part of the committees of the
European Parliament and its individual members visit the member state that is to hold the
rotating presidency. Before the beginning of the Bulgarian Presidency visits were made with
the aim of acquainting with its most important tasks, including a meeting with the minister or
ministers in charge and/or their deputies, with representatives of the respective committee in
the National Assembly and other contacts with the civil society. These visits were completely
used for establishing close relations with the committees in the European Parliament in view of
their role for the adoption of the legislative initiatives laid down in the Programme of Activities
of the Presidency.
Presentation of the Programme of Activities of the Bulgarian Presidency before the
Conference of Committee Chairs in Strasburg
As a consistent practice one month before the start of the rotating presidency its
programme of activities is presented before the Conference of Committee Chairs in Strasburg,
and answers are given to the questions raised by the chairs of all permanent and temporary
committees. This requires excellent knowledge of a considerable amount of legislation that is
subject to ongoing or forthcoming negotiations between the co-legislators. In the process of
preparation, important support is provided by the materials made available by the General
Secretariat of the Council, which contain summarized information about the progress of the
negotiations on the key legislative files for each parliamentary committee in the European
Parliament.
On 12 December 2017 in a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasburg the
minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018 presented the
programme of activities and the priorities, as well as the readiness for open interaction with the
European Parliament.

22
 The good relations of cooperation were maintained in the course of the rotating
presidency, as the progress in the implementation of its programme was presented by the
minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018 and during a mid-term
review before the Conference of Committee Chairs in April 2018 in Strasburg.
 In the period of holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the
EU the following key activities were performed in the context of the relations with the
European Parliament:
Presentation of the programme and priorities in the plenary and before the committees
in charge in the beginning of the presidency and of the achieved results in its end
During the first plenary session of the European Parliament after the start of the Bulgarian
Presidency in January 2018 the prime minister of the Republic of Bulgaria presented the four
main priorities and answered the questions asked by the chairs of the political groups and the
members of the European Parliament who took part in the debate. In the end of the Presidency
mandate in July 2018 in the spirit of an open dialogue and cooperation, the prime-minister
presented in the plenary the results from the Bulgarian Presidency, for which he was acclaimed
by the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Parliament, as
well as by all members of the European Parliament who took part in the discussion.
Special attention was paid in the work of the Bulgarian Presidency also to the presentation
of the programme and priorities in the committees in charge in the European Parliament, as the
principle of participation was at the highest political level. These participations had important
contribution to the acquaintance of the members of the committees in charge with the sectorial
priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency and to the establishment of an effective and open dialogue
between the respective deputy prime minister and/or a minister in charge as a chairperson of a
sectorial format of the Council and respectively the members of the parliamentary committee
as key participants in the legislative process in the European Parliament.
Participation of the deputy-minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the
EU in 2018 in charge of the relations with the European Parliament, in the plenary sessions
of the European Parliament
- One of the important functions of the rotating presidency is to take part in plenary
debates in the European Parliament with speeches on behalf of the Council of the EU. This
function of the Presidency was performed by the deputy-minister for the Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the EU in 2018, appointed to be in charge of the relations with the European
Parliament the European Parliament who spoke during the plenary debates, made statements,
answered oral questions of the members of the European Parliament.
The plenary debates, in which the Bulgarian Presidency participated with a statement on
behalf of the Council of the EU, were four main types: 1) statement of the Council, 2) answer
to an oral question, 3) thematic debate, 4) debate on a report, as well as participation on behalf
of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in
its absence. The Presidency took part with an introductory speech and in the end of the debate
– with a closing statement, in which the deputy-minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the EU in 2018 answered questions and/or comments of the members of the
European Parliament and the European Commission expressed within the discussion.
The draft speeches were prepared by the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, the
Directorate for Interinstitutional Relations in charge, which presented a general outline, as well
as specific materials/briefings on a participation-by-participation basis. The draft speeches were
coordinated in operational terms after being sent by the head in charge of the relations with the
European Parliament to the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the

23
European Union to the attention of the leaders and expert team of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the sectorial ministries, the leaders of the Permanent Representation of the Republic
of Bulgaria to the European Union and the sectorial diplomats for approval.
During the Bulgarian Presidency the deputy-minister in charge of the relations with the
European Parliament took part in all eight plenary part-sessions of the European Parliament,
held in the period 1 January 2018 – 30 June 2018, of which six plenary part-sessions in
Strasburg and two mini-plenary part-sessions in Brussels. The total number of plenary debates
was 29 – 28 of them with speeches on behalf of the Council of the EU and 1 with a speech on
behalf of the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The topics
of the plenary debate included key issues about the future of the European Union and its policies
such as the next Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU after 2020, the negotiations on
the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the response to the challenges related to migration and the
external threats to security; topics important for the European citizens, such as socioeconomic
inequalities, cybersecurity, strengthening of the civil society, freedom of media, social
hesitations about vaccines; major institutional issues such as the implementation of the
European budget for 2016, the electoral reform of the EU, the preparation of the sessions of the
European Council; as well as a speech on the topic related to the prospects for peace on the
Korean peninsula in the context of the latest developments, on behalf of the High
Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Due to the nature of the work and the topics subject to consideration in the Committee on
Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament, it was a responsibility of the deputy-minister
in charge of the relations with the European Parliament to present at a session of the Committee
the priorities and results from the work of the Bulgarian Presidency before its members and to
answer their questions in the beginning and in the end of the Presidency.
Trialogues
The negotiations among the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the
European Commission in the context of the co-decision procedure were in the form of trilateral
meetings (the so called trialogues), which served for clarifying the positions and for determining
the main issues, in which there were differences in order to evaluate the possibilities and
complete the work on the legislative proposal at first reading and in view of facilitating the
reaching of an agreement among the co-legislators.
The Bulgarian Presidency participated on behalf of the Council of the EU in 163 trilateral
meetings (trialogues), 103 of which within COREPER І and 60 – within COREPER ІІ,
including trilateral interinstitutional political meetings on initiatives from the field of the
Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making.
Within these trilateral meetings the Bulgarian Presidency made efforts to bring closer the
positions in order to achieve a decision that would be acceptable for all the three institutions
and as a result 46 political agreements were reached among the co-legislators.
More information about the process of preparation and holding of the trilateral meetings
may be found in the part of the present document that deals with the Permanent Representation
of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union.

3.6. Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European

Union
Bearing in mind the high expertise and experience of the sectorial diplomats in the
Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union in Brussels, a

24
model of the so called “Brussels-based” Presidency was selected in the process of preparation
for the Bulgarian Presidency instead of presidency based in the capital. This model is frequently
preferred by member states that take up for the first time the presidency of the Council of the
EU, as well as by smaller member states. The selected approach was related to the maintaining
of constant and effective operational contacts between the capital and the Permanent
Representation and provision of support to the teams in Brussels by the capital.
3.6.1. Composition and structure of the Permanent Representation
The Permanent Representation is the only foreign representation whose members are
determined by a resolution of the Council of Ministers6. In the context of the preparation of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the planning of the additional positions in the
composition of the Permanent Representation was also implemented by the adoption of a new
resolution by the government7.
The preparation for the increase of the members of the Permanent representation started
about two and a half years before the start of the Presidency. The reference point for the
determination of the necessary additional resource was the list of the working bodies of the
Council of the EU, which is updated on a regular basis by the General Secretariat of the Council.
In the course of drafting of the final proposal for the composition of the Permanent
Representation due consideration was given to the fact that for the period of one Presidency not
all working formats would be constituted and at the same time new temporary formats would
be set up. Due consideration was also given to the experience of the member states that held
the Presidency after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, as well as the capacity of the
Bulgarian administration.
Depending on the nature of the working bodies the team of the Presidency and the
additional resource of the Permanent Representation were planned subject to several principles:
- For each of the working bodies chaired by the rotating presidency in the two formats, one
chairperson and one deputy chairperson were determined. Exception was made only for
the bodies sitting in several different formats or in which the volume and number of the
files is traditionally very high.
- In addition, two deputies were determined for each of the groups ‘Antici’/’Mertens’, which
was in line with the practice of the former presidencies. The media team consisted of two
speakers (respectively for COREPER ІІ/ COREPER І), one press officer and one officer in
charge of the social media. A coordinator for the Presidency was also determined who was
engaged in the overall planning and day-to-day servicing of the logistic-and-protocol
functioning of the working bodies of the Council of the EU.
- For the working bodies in the ‘permanent representation’ format, the chairperson and his
deputy were seconded for a long period of time to Brussels for the period of the Presidency.
- For the working bodies in the ‘capitals’ format, the chairperson and his deputy were as a
general rule seconded for a short period of time to Brussels only for the days necessary for
the preparation and holding of the respective meeting.

6
Resolution No 603 of the Council of Ministers of 19 September 2008 determining the composition of the
Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium.
7
Resolution No 1018 of the Council of Ministers of 28 November 2016 amending Resolution No 603 of the
Council of Ministers of 2008 determining the composition of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of
Bulgaria to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium, amended by Resolution No 809 of the Council of Ministers
of 2010, Resolutions No 187 and 270 of the Council of Ministers of 2011 and Resolution No 124 of the Council
of Ministers of 2016.

25
- Each of the formats of the Council of Ministers of the EU (and of the respective working
bodies thereto) was covered by one secretary-coordinator seconded to Brussels for the
period of the Presidency.
The period of secondment of the additional temporary employees was in most cases
determined from the middle of 2017 to the end of September 2018. In this period the number
of the members of the Permanent Representation increased almost twice, as they were mostly
diplomatic employees. As already mentioned in the present document, for eight months
employees of the institutions of the European Union were also seconded with supporting
functions to the team of the Bulgarian Presidency8.
3.6.2. Powers and activities of the Permanent Representation
Four months before the beginning of the Presidency new Internal Rules were introduced
in the Permanent Representation, which were intended to prepare the foreign representation for
the regime of work during of the Bulgarian Presidency. The new rules *determined the
functions of the heads by sectors who would be responsible for the general direction and
coordination of the execution of the tasks in the respective sector assigned by the Permanent
representative or by the deputy-permanent representative: *changed the regime of reporting of
the results from the conducted sessions of working bodies and *provided for the specific
addressees in the capital of the preliminary communications and the reports.
For the purpose of better efficiency all reports from sessions, except for the reports from
the sessions along the lines of the Common Foreign and Security Policy/ Common Security and
Defence Policy started being sent by email only, without accompanying telegrams. They were
sent to addressees set forth in the Internal Rules – to the minister for the Bulgarian Presidency,
her deputy in charge of the contacts with the European Parliament, the EU Affairs Coordination
Directorate in the Administration of the Council of Ministers and competent directorates in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the competent directorates it line ministries.
An obligation was imposed to prepare and send immediately after the closing of the
meetings of the working group (committee) a summary of a paragraph setting out the most
important results from discussion and the subsequent procedural steps, the so called ‘flash
report’. By the end of the working day, at the latest, a full report would also be send
electronically on the results from the meeting, which would not exceed six pages (regardless of
the length of the session – one-day or two-day one) and would include the summary sent.
3.6.3. Main phases of the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency
The preparation and holding of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU
(January – June 2018) were conformed on the one hand to the current agenda of the European
Union, the priority topics identified by Bulgaria and the prepared schedule of the official
meetings, and on the other hand – to the rhythm of work of the EU institutions. The Permanent
Representation of the Republic Bulgaria to the European Union was involved both in the active
phase of the preparation (January – December 2017), and in the essential phase of
implementation of the Presidency (January – June 2018).
During the active phase of preparation the planning of the team of the Presidency was
implemented, the respective trainings were conducted, the respective protocol and logistic
securing of the scheduled events was set forth and the main strategic documents were prepared
in close coordination and cooperation between the capital and the Permanent Representation:
programme of the Trio of rotating presidencies (Estonia-Bulgaria-Austria); programme of the
8
Resolution No 154 of the Council of Ministers of 16 March 2017 determining the number of seconded employees
of institutions of the European Union who will support the conduction of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council
of the European Union in 2018, amended by Resolution No 421 of 31 July 2017, Resolution No 680 of 8 November
2017.

26
Republic of Bulgaria for the Presidency of the European Union and priorities; calendar with the
sessions of the European Council, the Council of Ministers of the EU and COREPER;
preliminary agendas of the sessions of the Councils for the period of the Presidency; calendar
with the sessions of the working bodies of the Council of the EU; calendar with the protocol
events in Brussels; internal working regulations of the Permanent Representation.
In the last six months before the beginning of the Presidency a number of meetings were
held with the respective teams of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, the European
Commission, the European Parliament for an in-depth discussion of the legislative files, which
were at an advanced stage of discussion, as well as planning of the activity of the working
bodies with rotating presidency. In the same period the interest in the country increased
considerably. The Permanent Representation was invited to and participated in different
multilateral meetings, informal formats, forums, discussions, round tables, etc.
During the essential phase of the Presidency the efforts were directed towards the
practical implementation of the activity of the preparatory bodies of the Council of the EU with
rotating presidency. The intensity of work was not constant for the entire six-month period and
there was a considerable intensification in last months.
In the first two months of the Bulgarian Presidency there was a strive towards the
establishment of routine in the preparation and distribution of the agenda for the sessions,
meetings with the delegations of the member states, chairing and report from the sessions of
the working bodies. The conduction of regular meetings with teams of the General Secretariat
of the Council of the EU and the European Commission on certain topics and files also
continued. As early as in the first month trialogues started among the Council represented by
the rotating presidency, the European Parliament and the European Commission. In this period
the huge interest on the part of the non-government sector and the participation in events in a
different format for presentation of the programme and the priorities also continued.
The subsequent two months brought about an increased dynamics of the working bodies
of the Council of the EU and a decrease of the work engagements along the line of third
concerned parties. There was also a considerable increase in the number of conducted
trialogues, some of which entered into a closing phase. The first sessions of the Council of the
EU were organized, as the Presidency team participated in their overall preparation – logistic
and expert preparation.
The last two months of the Presidency featured exceptionally high dynamic in terms of
work on the specific files and workload. The ambition of the Presidency to achieve the highest
performance and to accomplish the objectives was reflected in an increase in the number of the
sessions of the preparatory bodies of the Council, incl. COREPER and conducted trialogues.
After the end of the six-month mandate of the Bulgarian Presidency, it continued its work
on the implementation of the 18-month programme of the Council of the EU (1 July 2017 – 31
December 2018), as it tracked down the development of the negotiation process and prepared
a report on the topics and files for the period.
3.6.4. Preparation and holding of a meeting of the Council working group
The preparation of a meeting of a working group of the Council of the EU started with
the determination of the agenda in close coordination with the General Secretariat of the
Council of the EU at a specially organized briefing. Immediately afterwards, the agenda was
published on the Delegates Portal. A flash note was, usually on the next day, distributed among

27
the delegations with more detailed information about the purpose of the discussions under the
individual items of the agenda of the forthcoming meeting9.
Immediately before the meeting a new briefing would be conducted with the General
Secretariat of the Council to report the latest developments on the items of the agenda and make
more precise the objectives and tactics to be followed for their achievement. In this relation the
presence of clarity with respect to the different scenarios and situations that could occur during
the session and how to proceed in any such scenario was crucial.
The main principles followed in the direction of the meeting on the part of the chairperson
were: *maximum clarity in his statements; *enabling all the delegations to state their positions
and arguments; *correct and impartial summarization of the outcome from the discussions with
clear and unambiguous conclusions on the achieved results and the subsequent actions.
What was important in in the preparation of meeting of the working bodies was the
knowledge of the matter and the working procedures, the constant contact with the delegations,
as well as with the other concerned institutions on the items of the agenda in view of getting
familiar with their positions. It was important to distribute in a timely fashion the working
documents for the forthcoming meeting in view of the adequate preparation of the delegations
and the conduction of a meaningful discussion during the meeting. However, it should be born
in mind that not everything depends on the good intentions and efforts of the Presidency, as
long as some of the working documents are drafted by other institutions.
3.6.5. Preparation and chairing the meeting of COREPER
Several months before the beginning of the Presidency the Internal Rules of the
Permanent Representation were supplemented so as to reflect the expected changes in the
regime of work.
The preparation of a meeting of COREPER started two weeks before the session with the
determination of the draft agenda for the meeting, which was carried out with the active
assistance of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU. In the process of preparation a
number of factors were taken into account: priority and complexity of the topics, expected
length of the discussion of the items, interlinking with other sessions, legally determined (which
concern the preliminary or final agenda of the Council, e.g.) or recommendable and imposed
by the practice time limits (e.g. receipt of a mandate for trialogue from COREPER at least
several days before the date, for which the trialogue itself is scheduled), etc. The draft agenda
was prepared on the basis of contribution of the heads of working groups.
Before the meeting of COREPER an initial review of all documents was made by the
head of the working group/the competent attaché under the respective item (who is bound to
agree and coordinate with the capital) and the ‘Antici’/’Mertens’ team. Likewise, an internal
briefing was conducted of the president of COREPER in the weekend preceding the session, as
well as bilateral contacts with delegations and institutions where necessary. As a result from
the consultations made and the information received, a scenario/s was/were prepared for the
development of the discussions and an action strategy.
The General Secretariat of the Council would prepare the initial draft agenda and the
briefing notes for the president of COREPER, which could be changed by the Presidency at its
own discretion.

9
The time-limits for distribution of the agenda and of the flash note varied depending on the forthcoming session.
They vary from working group to working group (depending on the frequency of the sessions) but it is particularly
important to follow the practices established by the respective working group.

28
 The specific peculiarity of the meetings of COREPER was that on the day before the
session the so called ‘flash-note’ for COREPER was distributed through the ‘Antici’/’Mertens’
group, which contained the sequence and time length of the items of the agenda on the
forthcoming COREPER, an indicative agenda of the sessions of COREPER and dates of
trialogues in the next one or two weeks.
Two days before the meeting (for COREPER II) and immediately before the session (for
COREPER I) preparation coordination meetings would be made with the team of the
Presidency, the General Secretariat of the Council, incl. the Legal Service of the Council, the
European Commission and the European External Action Service, at which the presidency of
COREPER was able to consult the scenario of the session.
The planning of the sessions of COREPER was facilitated by the fact that it was possible
to plan extraordinary sessions in exceptionally short terms. Although COREPER was with
priority, upon the conduction of sessions of working groups is was subject to the same rules
governing the work of the translators, which would at times have an impact on the length of the
sessions of COREPER.
It is important to invest in the work with the member states. It is recommendable in the
first months of the Presidency to conduct an informal meeting outside Brussels. This is a
possibility for the Presidency to listen to ‘the voice of the public’ and to hear ‘at first hand’
recommendations for the working methods of COREPER, which are of use in the planning of
the meetings.
3.6.6. Preparation and conduction of interinstitutional negotiations (trialogues)
The preparation of trialogues would start with the systemic planning of the work in the
Council and the respective scheduling of the date of trialogues and technical meetings. At this
state a decision would be taken who would chair a trialogue.
In practice, the majority of trialogues along the lines of COREPER I were chaired by the
deputy permanent representative (in several cases – by a deputy-minister in charge) and the
chairperson of the competent working group, and these along the line of COREPER II – most
frequently by the chair of the respective working group or a deputy-ministry in charge, and in
certain cases by the permanent representative. The level of representation would be determined
by the practice established by former presidencies, the evaluation of the respective leading
department and the level of representation on the part of the European Commission.
The planning of a trialogue would take into account not only the personal workload of
the participants but also the working rhythm of the European Parliament (commissions and
plenary) and the Council of the EU. In the course of the preparation attention would be paid to
the survey of the positions of the file rapporteur, as well as to the ‘shadow rapporteurs’
expressing the interests of the main political groups.
Although every trialogue developed in its own way, the trialogues followed a common
typology. The first trialogue would almost always be a ‘get-to-know’ one and would include as
elements the statement of the main positions of each party and adoption of a schedule for the
negotiations. The last trialogue would be either closing for the finalization of the negotiations,
or technical – in order to reach key decisions and to thus finalize the negotiations, but this could
have already happened and the last trialogue could be purely technical too – for clarification of
separate recitals.
The presence of the trialogues along the line of COREPER I and of the deputy-diplomat
‘Mertens’ was a useful practice in terms of provision of coherence of the work on them in the
Council and the European Parliament.

29
 3.6.7. Coordination and mechanisms for interaction with the capital, with the EU
institutions and the member states
Interaction with the capital
The planning and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU as a
‘Brussels-based’ presidency meant a higher degree of autonomy of the Permanent
Representation subject to the principle of complete provision of information, coordination and
interaction with the capital. In particular for the duration of the Presidency a coordination
mechanism was set up, which discussed the most important issues of a political nature under
key files. More information about the Coordination Board of the Bulgarian Presidency and its
functions was presented in part 3.4. hereof.
Interaction with the EU institutions
During the active phase of the preparation and of the presidency itself active daily contact
was maintained with the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU. The close cooperation
was of particular importance in the work on the files that were a part of the agenda of the
European Council. The General Secretariat of the Council had a key role for the preparation of
the sessions of the European Council, acting as a secretariat of the cabinet of the President of
the European Council. In this relation the practice was established to conduct weekly meetings
of the President of COREPER II with the Secretary General of the Council and the heat of the
cabinet of the President of the European Council, which were particularly useful for the
implementation of the political priorities of the Presidency.
Simultaneously with the contacts with the General Secretariat of the Council intense
contacts were also maintained at various levels with the European Commission for the
preparation of the agenda of the sessions of the preparatory bodies of the Council of the EU. In
the closing phase of the preparation of the drafts of an official calendar and of preliminary
agendas for the sessions of the Council of Ministers they would be coordinated in advance with
the European Commission. A prerogative of the Presidency was to decide whether these notes
would be adopted. Particularly valuable were the expertise of the European Commission and
its connections to the delegations, while due consideration being given in the same time to its
own institutional agenda and priorities.
An invariable part of the preparation of the administration for the Presidency was directed
towards strengthening and development of the network of contacts with the leading participants
in the legislative process within the European Parliament in compliance with the specific
expertise of the separate ministries. Special attention was also paid to the work of the Bulgarian
members of the European Parliament. Their support was sought for the purpose of maintaining
a closer contact with the members of a certain parliamentary commission, better informing of
the committee on the work of the Presidency on the respective legislative files, mediation and
convergence of the positions. In the course of the work contacts were also established with
experienced members of the European Parliament from other member states too, who are kind
of opinion-makers in the European Parliament. These were useful contacts for the effective
achievement of progress in the legislative activity with a particular accent on the priorities and
objectives set of the Bulgarian Presidency.
The maintaining of close contacts with each of the specified participants engaged under
a certain legislative proposal allowed the Presidency to be better informed for the attitudes and
expectations of the respective committee and of the political groups in the European Parliament
as a whole.

30
 Interaction with the EU member states
The preparation of the meetings of the working groups, COREPER and of trialogues
required active interaction also with the delegations of the member states. In this relation
conversations were held with separate member states, representatives of groups of member
states for testing proposals of the Presidency. The aim of these contacts was to create as close
image as possible of the expected behaviour and expression of a position at the very session
and served as a basis in the development of the ‘scenarios’ for its conduction. A guiding
principle was the search for the support required for the respective legislative act. The
presidency also strived to take into account, where possible, the most important and sensitive
in terms of national positions elements, regardless of the size and weight of the respective
member state in terms of vote in the Council.
In the course of the preparation and holding of the presidency, closer contacts were
established with the states from the Trio. The most important factor in them was the mutual
benefit from the sharing of experience and advices. Actual cooperation in a working aspect with
the states from the Trio was present in the work on the programme of the Trio and, in certain
cases, in the preparation of draft texts and documents, at the discretion of the sectorial
diplomats. Depending on the established practice in the different formats, the representatives
of the next rotating presidency were invited several weeks before the end of the current
presidency to attend the preparatory briefings with the General Secretariat of the Council and
the European Commission. Likewise, they could receive the respective documents related to
the session with the understanding that the access to information is only in view of the
preparation of their presidency.

4. Events in Bulgaria
4.1. Calendar
The calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency was the foundation, on which all the activities
in the field of the logistics-and-technical preparation were planned and implemented.
In the course of the calendar planning it was decided that the events would be divided
into four categories: А, В, С and D, as it was set out for each and every category which leading
institution would be responsible for the planning and organization thereof and which other
departments would support it in the process. The responsibility of the Ministry for the Bulgarian
Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018 for the preparation and organization of the events
from the separate categories was, as follows:
- Category А: ministerial meetings and high-level meetings, in respect of which the
Ministry for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU was responsible for the
provision of halls, accreditation, transport, accommodation, reception and seeing-off the
delegates, volunteers accompanying the delegations, catering, translation, gifts;
- Category B: expert meetings, in respect of which the Ministry for the Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the EU was responsible to provide a hall, accreditation of the delegates,
transport, accommodation, catering and gifts;
- Category C: meetings of the Parliamentary dimension, in respect of which the Ministry
for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU was responsible to ensure a hall,

31
 accreditation of the delegates, transport, accommodation, reception and seeing-off of the
delegates, catering, translation, gifts;
- Category D: various forums under the patronage of the Bulgarian Presidency, in respect
of which the Ministry for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU was
responsible to ensure a hall and accreditation of the delegates.

The process of preparation of the Calendar with the events performed in Bulgaria started
one year before the official beginning of the Bulgarian Presidency, as each ministry/ institution
proposed events to be included in it. A number of expert-level working meetings were
conducted following by meetings at a ministerial level for the purpose of finalization of the
Calendar and the details concerning the organization, in accordance with adopted Guidelines
on the planning and organization of the events. The Guidelines were formulated on the basis of
a survey of the experience of the other member states, as due consideration was given to the
usual practice and the requirements of the General Secretariat of the Council. They were the
main reference point for the distribution of the responsibilities among the Ministry for the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the other institutions that would be hosts of
the separate events.
Upon the preparation of the Calendar of Events a kay factor for its functionality was the
collection of complete and accurate information for the name of the event and its category, date
of conduction, the department in charge, the number of participants, the number of delegations,
the regime of translation and the location.
More than 50 ministries, departments and other organizations proposed the conduction of
330 events during the Bulgarian Presidency mostly in Sofia but also in other towns and cities
in the country: Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv, Ruse, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, etc.
In the period of preparation many meetings were held with representatives of the
diplomatic corpus in the country, for the purpose of the timely informing throughout the
different stages of the preparation of the Presidency and the planning of events with the
participation of delegates from the respective EU member states.
Working meetings were held with the Ministry of Culture and with artists with respect to
the coordination of the cultural programme.
On 20 December 2017 the Council of Ministers10 approved a final Calendar of Events of
the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2018, which would be
conducted in Bulgaria. The minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the
European Union in 2018 was authorized to make changes in it where necessary. In this relation
and in view of the serious dynamics of the EU agenda, the calendar was changed several times
in the period of the Presidency. Compared to the December 2017 version of a calendar, the final
version contained 31 additional events or a total of 330 meetings, sessions and conferences.
We should also note the Calendar of the Parliamentary Dimension unanimously adopted
in a plenary session in the National Assembly on 28 July 2017, which included 6 events (5
mandatory and 1 additional), of which five conferences were held in Sofia, and one – in the
European Parliament in Brussels11. The 6 interparliamentary conferences held within the

10
Resolution 817/2017 of the Council of Ministers.
11
The conducted events from the Calendar of the Parliamentary Dimension of the Bulgarian government were:
Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of the Parliaments
of the European Union (Chairpersons’ COSAC), Interparliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), Interparliamentary Conference on

32
Parliamentary dimension contributed to the increase of the role of the national parliaments in
the decision-making process in the EU, in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and
proportionality. The efforts of the Parliamentary dimension of the Bulgarian Presidency were
directed towards consolidation of the European Union around common actions for the priority
policies through an effective dialogue.
If the Calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency must be described in numbers, it must be
noted that:
- the number of events from the calendar that were carried out before the beginning of the
Bulgarian Presidency was 11,
- the number of events from the calendar that were carried out during the Bulgarian
Presidency was 326,
- the number of events from the calendar that were carried out after the end of the Bulgarian
Presidency was 4,
- the number by categories was, as follows: category А (37); В (170); С (5), D (118).

The following may be highlighted as more important events in the Calendar: the Summit
EU-Western Balkans and the five events accompanying it; the visit of the College of
Commissioners to Sofia; 12 informal ministerial meetings; 2 Asia-Europe meetings at a
ministerial level (АСЕМ); the EU-USA meeting on justice and home affairs at a ministerial
level; the high-level conference dedicated to the cohesion policy; the conference of the
ministers of tourism; conference on social economy and social entrepreneurship; the Annual
Meeting of the High-level Group on Central and South-Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity;
the Meeting of the tourism ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation member countries; the external meetings of Coreper II, Coreper I and the Political
and Security Committee; the visit of representatives of international media.
It should be noted that the Bulgarian Presidency adopted an unprecedented inclusive
approach, as it opened a number of formats of the Council at various levels of participation of
the partners from the Western Balkans. The events from the Calendar of the Bulgarian
Presidency at a political and expert levels with the participation of the Western Balkans were
76. Additional meetings were also held in a format Bulgaria – Western Balkans.
In view of the specific focus of the Bulgarian Presidency on the European Perspective
and Connectivity of the Western Balkans, as already noted, a Summit dedicated to this topic
was organized. Both the preparation of the contents and the organizational-and-logistic
preparation of summits in the Calendar of Rotating Presidency require an investment of
considerable efforts and time on the part of the teams ensuring preparation and implementation.
By Resolution No 697 of the Council of Ministers of 4 October 2018 the Report on the
conducted events from the Calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European
Union was adopted.

Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union, Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group
(JPSG) on EUROPOL, Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Energy committees of the EU parliaments, Conference
of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of the Parliaments of the European Union (LIX Plenary COSAC).

33
 Organizational preparation of the key Summit EU-Western Balkans from the Calendar
of the Bulgarian Presidency
For the organization of the Summit EU-Wester Balkans in Sofia early consultations were
carried out with the General Secretariat of the Council and the cabinet of the President of the
European Council Donald Tusk. Their representatives made a preliminary visit to Bulgaria two
months before the event for the purpose of specifying details on the organisation. Another
important factor was also the interaction with the embassies of the member states and the
partners from the Western Balkans for the purpose of preliminary preparation and presentation
of practical information in relation to the Summit.
A key element of the organizational-and-logistic preparation of the event was the
forecasting of the number of the delegations and their heads for the purpose of specifying the
required number of special-regime vehicles for their transport and engagement of a sufficient
number of volunteers to accompany the high-level delegations; the determination of locations
for the official dinner and for the meeting itself (recommendable to be different), the
determination of the hotels for accommodation of all leaders, as well as the organization of
appropriate cultural and social programme conformed to the time limits of the leaders.
An important accent in the logistic securing of the Summit and the events accompanying
it was also the establishment of the regime of translation and the accompanying events requiring
translation, so that a correct application can be filed to the Directorate General for Translation
of the European Commission, sufficient area can be provided for translation booths at the
respective location, as well as the necessity to rent additional equipment can be determined.

Main locations of the events from the calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency
The two main locations for conduction of the events from the calendar of the Bulgarian
Presidency in the capital were the congress centres: National Palace of Culture (NPC) and the
Boyana Residence because these two locations satisfied to the highest extent the requirements
of the General Secretariat of the Council and the European Commission with the respect to the
criteria for security, transport accessibility, presence of sufficient number of halls with different
capacities, restaurants securing the official lunches and dinners, the technical infrastructure for
sound, translation, cable and wireless internet, video and audio broadcasting and recording, etc.
After functional, technical and financial analyses were made of the selected congress
centres, the development of projects for their restructuring and adaption for the purposes of the
Bulgarian Presidency was proceeded with.
For the official dinners during the Presidency where the number of attending guests
exceeded 200, the John Atanasoff hall located on the territory of the Sofia Tech Park was also
used.
Special attention was paid to the construction of the security systems – video surveillance,
access control, signal-and-security system, cable and wireless internet, lighting, sound and
translation systems. A studio of the Bulgarian National Television was equipped for live
broadcasts, video and audio recordings. All the process of construction of these systems was
coordinated with the General Secretariat of the Council and the Directorate General for
Translation of the European Commission. The activities of construction of the technical
infrastructure were directed by the National Palace of Culture and the Bulgarian National
Television (BNT), as open competitions were announced under the Public Procurement Act.
As a result from the repair activities undertaken and the ones related to installation of
equipment in relation to the preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency, halls of a sufficient

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number and with a sufficient capacity were provided, which were fully secured with the
necessary technical infrastructure.
In the planning of the halls for conduction of events it was important to take into account
the total number of the delegates, the needs of offices for the representatives of the European
Commission, the General Secretariat of the Council, ministers, area for ‘family’ photos,
equipped with a stage, branded wall and photo equipment, coffee-break areas, cloakrooms for
the delegates and cabinets with individual locks available to the media. Upon the planning of
the events from the Calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency, two open office spaces were also
provided in the National Palace of Culture, equipped with workplaces for 120 delegates, laptops
ad multifunctional office machines, as well as a press-centre with secured workplaces for 100
representatives of the media, including television and radio booths. A briefing hall with 20 seats
and stand-up positions for interviews and statements. The planning of the locations took into
account also the considerations related to the accessibility of the environment.
The diversity of halls of different capacity, the modern technical equipment, the
comfortable architectural environment and the convenient location contributed to the high
opinions expressed by the guests and the success of the events.
4.2. Protocol
Category A events were organized centrally by the MBPCEU 2018 in cooperation with
the State Protocol Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with respect to the protocol
aspects and, in order to achieve greater efficiency, tasks were divided among the teams.
Following the good practices and established rules for Category A events in the
conference centers, the Minister hosting the event would always organize welcoming of the
guests with a hand-shake and an opportunity for a short statement for the media. It is not typical
to organize official delegation arrivals for informal Council meetings.
To facilitate the delegates' arrival, stay, movement and participation in events, as well as
to establish permanent points of contact with the team of MBPCEU 2018 where necessary,
information desks of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU were established at the
main accommodation and event locations, as well as at Sofia Airport. The desks were serviced
by members of the MBPCEU 2018 volunteer team, who were specifically appointed to be
responsible for these locations at the candidate selection stage.
The organization of an information desks system and its timely implementation for the
first Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU proved to be a significant advantage from
a logistical point of view and greatly facilitated the events in the calendar.
4.3. Delegate accreditation
Given the financial resources available to the Bulgarian Presidency and the lack of time
to develop a new accreditation system, it was decided to rent a ready system for event
management, registration and accreditation of delegations.
The accreditation system was a key component for the successful organization and
logistics of events. Its seamless operation and use by the MBPCEU 2018 team, the line
ministries, the security services teams as well as the delegates required trained accreditation
staff from the MBPCEU, as well as ongoing contact with the contractor providing the
Accreditation system12.

12
As a result of an open procedure for the award of a public procurement contract ‘Providing an Event
Management, Accreditation and Registration of Delegations System for the purposes of the Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the EU in 2018’, was selected a consortium of Ciela Norma and T-Systems Ltd. - Hungary, with
contract No 04-D-16 / 18.08.2017 and Annex 04-D-16 # 1 / 23.08.2017 to it.

35
 The scope of the system included software, hardware and additional accessories.
At the start of the Presidency on 1 January 2018, the system had fulfilled the main
functionalities of registration and accreditation of delegates, issuing of electronic badges for
access to the National Palace of Culture to the delegates and technical groups of the MBPCEU
2018 and the National Palace of Culture, the security services and all planned flows of people,
providing the necessary enquiry options.
A very important element was ensuring security of the data in the accreditation system
and in the data access and exchange channels, including the physical protection of the
communications infrastructure, by strictly regulated access to the system and cyber-attack
protection in the data center.
Through the system were registered persons and delegates accredited by the security
services, a total of 36,465 delegates. After the Presidency, all the data processed in the system
were formatted for statistical processing and then deleted.
In the event that the budget and the timeframe for preparing a rotating presidency allow,
it would be useful to develop an in-house accreditation system set up for the specific presidency
and – at least three months before its entry into operation – to test the system in order to fix as
many bugs as possible. The system should be easy to understand and use with the most
simplified yet convenient interfaces.
4.4. Translations
To successfully carry out the events of the Bulgarian Presidency calendar, the MBPCEU
2018 was to provide translation for the informal meetings of the European Council and the
different formats of the Council of the European Union, the events of the Parliamentary
Dimension and the meetings with participation of Ministers from the Member States of the
European Union throughout the Presidency. To that end, a sufficient number of duly accredited
conference interpreters experienced in translating during events of a similar nature had to be
provided to ensure the quality of the translation and confidentiality of the documents provided
and of the content of the respective meetings. Providing conference interpretation service to
and from the maximum combination of the EU's 24 official languages was according to the
requirements of Article 342 of the TFEU and Council Regulation 1/58, and in compliance with
the principle of loyal cooperation, Article 13 (2) TEU.
Using the experience of all previous Presidencies, it was decided to use the services of
DG Interpretation during informal Council meetings in the respective country, in order to ensure
high quality and sufficient number of translators. DG Interpretation is the European
Commission's office responsible for interpretation services and the organization of conferences.
DG Interpretation provides translators for around 11,000 meetings per year and is the world's
largest interpreting service. DG Interpretation manages the provision of meeting rooms to the
Commission and provides assistance for the smooth running of meetings in the relevant number
of languages.
It is of the utmost importance to identify as early as possible the DG Interpretation focal
point for the rotating presidency, approximately one year before it starts.
In September 2017, an Administrative Co-operation Agreement in the area of conference
translation was signed between the MBPCEU 2018 and DG Interpretation.
In the context of cooperation planning, it was important to consider the need to approve
the deployment of the technical equipment in the halls where the interpreters of DG

36
Interpretation work and the equipment itself. The Office has extremely high requirements for
equipment and working conditions. For this purpose, technical missions are carried out and
reports are provided with recommendations to be fulfilled.
During most meetings, the translation regime consisted of six passive languages into six
active languages, as follows: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Bulgarian.
4.5. Logistics
Catering
During the preparation of the Presidency a consultative meeting was held with
representatives of the European Association of Chefs to discuss specific aspects of the
organization of dining for high-ranking guests and delegates to events in Bulgaria. The
participants in the meeting received information about the number and type of events, luncheon
and dinner formats and other issues.
The overall organization of catering during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of
the EU 2018 was carried out in observance of the ceremonial and protocol rules, considering
the level of participants in the events and their category.
To promote Bulgaria, its traditions and culture among the participants in the events, it
was decided that catering should give priority to Bulgarian national dishes.
An open procedure was held under the Public Procurement Act with the subject:
‘Ensuring the feeding of the participants in the events of the Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the EU in 2018’ and as a result a contract was signed with the selected contractor.
Hotel accommodation
The provision of hotel accommodation for delegates participating in the events of the
Calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency was an important part of organizational-logistical
preparation. Different categories of events required a different organization approach.
The Heads of Category A delegations and one of the accompanying delegates were
accommodated for the period from 1 January to 30 June 2018 at the expense of the budget of
the Presidency. For this purpose an open procedure was held under the Public Procurement Act,
with the subject of: ‘Hotel accommodation for heads of delegation and accompanying persons
(1 + 1) for Category A events during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in
2018’ and a contract was signed with the selected contractor.
To find an appropriate form for engagement of hotels to accommodate people who pay
for their own stays, the Presidency team worked in cooperation with the industry associations
in Sofia. Based on the received information and expressions of interest, a meeting was
organized at the Council of Ministers with representatives of the industry and industry
organizations, and after specifying the details related to acceptable costs for delegates, location,
rating of hotels in recognized travel sites and the relevant security measures, a Memorandum
of Cooperation was drafted and signed.
Hotel accommodation during the Bulgarian Presidency presented in numbers:
- 21 hotels (4 * and 5 *);
- 16,401 delegates;
- 31,772 nights;
- 1,772 Heads of Delegation;
- 2,722 nights of the heads of delegations.

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 Transportation
For planning of delegates’ transportation during the Bulgarian Presidency, environmental
and climate considerations related to the reduction of air pollution and mitigation of climate
change through the use of greener transport were taken into account.
In identifying transport needs for the Calendar events, the main practices of previous
presidencies were followed.
To highly ranked officials in category A events, a VIP car and a minibus for the delegation
were provided. A total of 40 cars and 40 limousines for Category A events were available to
the Presidency. The organization and coordination of transport for Category A events was
carried out jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and the National
Security Service.
For the events of lower categories, buses between the hotels recommended by the
Presidency and the main conference centers were provided. An open procedure was carried out
under the Public Procurement Act with the subject ‘Renting of transport vehicles (buses) with
guides to transport the delegations during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the
European Union in 2018’ and as a result a contract was signed with the selected contractor.
When choosing a contractor for bus transport, the basic requirements were related to the
availability of vehicles that meet modern environmental standards, the availability of air
conditioning, the ability to use wireless internet and the maximum comfort for passengers. With
regard to bus transport during the Presidency, more than 10,000 passengers were transported
and 12 buses with 22, 47, 50 and 58 seats were permanently available.
Transport to and from the airport was not provided, with the practical information pack
given to each delegate in advance containing detailed information on possible ways of
transportation in Sofia. A major advantage of Sofia Airport was its connection to the subway,
providing faster, more convenient and environmentally friendly transport.
The Presidency had the opportunity to also use electric cars provided through
sponsorship.
Consideration should be given to the need for a larger number of vehicles in cases where
informal Council meetings are held in a double format (e.g. Justice and Home Affairs) and / or
overlaps on arrival and departure days. This calls for flexible schedules for the use of cars and
minibuses.
Organization of off-site sessions of Coreper I, Coreper II and PSC
Following the practice of previous presidencies of the Council of the EU, the host state,
respectively the Ministry for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018, needed
to ensure the organization and holding of the off-site sessions of COREPER I, COREPER II
and PCS. These sessions, although part of the calendar for the Bulgarian Presidency, have a
program that does not allow them to be organized under the requirements and criteria for the
other events. In that sense, a special program was prepared for them within a few days on the
territory of the country. The logistical provision of these sessions was ensured as a result of an
open public procurement procedure with subject ‘Event Organizing’.
4.6. Sponsorship
Sponsorship was an essential element of the successful preparation and holding of the
Bulgarian Presidency.

38
 Bulgarian business organizations and associations had the opportunity to sign framework
agreements, and through those the representatives of different companies could support the
Bulgarian Presidency. Seventeen framework agreements and 45 contracts with sponsoring
companies were signed.
The sponsored products and services, including food and beverages, textiles, information
materials for Sofia, electric vehicles and others, were delivered according to the needs of the
respective events and received with all necessary documents: certificates of suitability, quality
certificates and / or handover protocols.
4.7. Promotional materials
Following the practice of previous presidencies of the Council of the EU, the host state,
respectively the Ministry for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
2018, needed to provide gift packs for all delegates and media representatives involved in
Category A, B and C events in the country, as well as for the regular meetings of the Council
and its preparatory bodies, the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the EU,
other European institutions with an emphasis on EC and EP, the diplomatic missions of the
Republic of Bulgaria abroad.
In this respect, several public procurement procedures for the production and delivery of
promotional advertising materials were carried out as follows: scarves; neckties; packages and
tissues (for scarves and neckties); luxury notebooks and magnetic book dividers; external
battery with USB output and adapter for mobile device; cardboard folders, blocks, calendars
and gift bags; pens, pencils; books ‘Bulgaria – the ancient land of the Thracians’; exchange
coins with a nominal value of 2 (two) levs, a BNB issue and commemorative coins with a
nominal value of 10 (ten) BGN, BNB issue dedicated to the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council
of the European Union 2018; a FDC envelope with a stamp dedicated to the Bulgarian
Presidency.
An important element in the planning of the production and delivery of promotional
materials was the elaboration of a schedule for the needs per period in order to adequately
estimate the quantities and deliveries, taking into account the necessity of corresponding
quantities of promotional sets for the protocol needs of the Permanent Representation of the
Republic of Bulgaria in the EU and the rest diplomatic missions abroad.
The promotional materials produced for the needs of the Bulgarian Presidency can be
presented in numbers as follows:
- 3,100 luxury neckties;
- 26,830 standard neckties;
- 3,475 luxury scarves;
- 17,500 standard scarves;
- 61,500 packages and tissues (for scarves and neckties);
- 2,800 luxury notebooks;
- 4,200 luxury pens;
- 53,000 standard pens;
- 51,000 pencils;
- 60,000 paper bags;
- 5,500 magnetic book dividers;

39
 - 2,517 external battery with USB output
- 26,500 mobile device adapter
- 66,000 cardboard folders
- 69,000 blocks;
- 3,000 calendars;
- 1,400 books ‘Bulgaria – the ancient land of the Thracians’;
- 1,000 commemorative coins of BGN 10;
- 50,000 circulation coins of BGN 2;
- 50,000 FDC envelopes with a stamp dedicated to the Bulgarian Presidency.

For the over 300 events held in the capital and in the country, the contractors provided
professionally crafted high quality items for all delegates.

5. Communication
5.1. Communication plan and team
The main objectives of public communication during the preparation and holding of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018 were to raise citizens' awareness of its
nature, objectives and tasks, to stimulate public discussion on key topics and issues on the
European agenda and to present the culture, history and potential of Bulgaria and the priorities
and the results of the Bulgarian Presidency to the EU and third countries.
The communication strategy of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU
2018 included three dimensions of implementation: internal dimension, responsibility of the
MBPCEU 2018; an international dimension entrusted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and a
cultural program for the Presidency, for which the Ministry of Culture was responsible.
The main teams during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU can be divided
into three levels: 1) A team in Brussels, consisting of two speakers – COREPER I and
COREPER II and two experts; 2) Communication team and team of the International Press
Center in Sofia, including Speaker of the Presidency; 3) Communication teams of the different
ministries – 2 experts: one communication and one expert on the EU-related topics.
Each of these teams was responsible for a different segment of the Presidency's events.
The Brussels team was responsible for communicating all the events of the Presidency
calendar in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg and was the only point of contact with the
GSC. This team also supported the official Twitter profile in English.
The team of the International Press Center in Sofia was responsible for the high-level
events (category A and C) in Sofia, responsible for the normal functioning of the press center,
the official photographers and the host television, maintaining the official website of the
Presidency and social networking profiles – Facebook, Twitter in Bulgarian and Instagram. It
was a contact point between the Brussels team and the teams in the different ministries. The
operation of the International Press Center was assisted by 22 volunteers.

40
 The Ministries' communication teams were responsible for events B and D, as well as for
the preparation of press releases for Category A events that were within their competence.
An important aspect of the management of the communication activities during the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU was the allocation of responsibilities among
different communication teams, which required a clear definition of the roles and the
establishment of a working mechanism for liaison and coordination between the teams. The
mechanism contained a detailed description of the responsibilities of each team, deadlines for
their implementation, and the way in which public appearances, press releases, answers to
media questions were agreed.
All communication teams went through two trainings (130 participants) traditionally
organized by the General Secretariat of the Council and their lecturers.
The MBPCEU 2018 team organized preliminary meetings with each ministry's
communication team, presenting the communication mechanism between the MBPCEU, the
teams in the Permanent Representation in Brussels and the sector ministries during the
Presidency. A common Internet space was created to publish press releases and weekly
planning.
5.2. Logo and visual identity
The start of the artistic competition for the logo of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the European Union 2018 was symbolically declared on the Day of the People's
Enlighteners – 1 November 2016. Submissions were accepted by 30 December 2016, with the
total number of submitted proposals by artists living in Bulgaria and abroad reaching 176.
The jury was composed of nine members, personally nominated by professional
organizations, universities and state structures (the National Academy of Art, the Union of
Bulgarian Artists, the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, New Bulgarian University, the Bulgarian
Association of PR Agencies, the Bulgarian Association of Communication Agencies, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the then National Center for the Preparation of the Bulgarian
Presidency of the Council of the EU).
The logo competition received submissions by students and professors, artists with
diplomas from prestigious universities such as the University of California at Los Angeles,
universities in Milan, Berlin, Madrid and others.
The winner of the competition is Todor Angeliev, an experienced artist, member of the
Union of Bulgarian Artists. The graphic symbol interlaces three Bulgarian symbols – the
tricolor, the embroidery and the Cyrillic alphabet. The logo was presented at a special press
conference at the Council of Ministers on 17 January 2017.
The logo of the Bulgarian Presidency was also adopted as a basic graphic element for the
development of the overall visual identity of our first rotating presidency. The concept of visual
identity included the development of graphic images for external urban environments and
indoor spaces in congress centers and representative public institutions.
For the slogan of the Bulgarian Presidency, as a result of high approval by Bulgarian
citizens and after sociological research, the slogan ‘United we stand strong’ has been selected.
The final decision for choosing the visual identity of the Presidency was taken at a special
meeting, where representatives of the National Academy of Arts, New Bulgarian University,
Sofia University, marketing and PR agencies, state institutions, Sofia Municipality and others
were invited.

41
 Using the visual identity and the logo of the Presidency, key locations related to the arrival
and departure of delegates and the holding of the Presidency were branded.
The rotating presidency was an opportunity for getting to know Bulgaria, its contribution
to Europe's cultural and historical heritage, natural resources, scientific and sporting
achievements, folklore wealth and hospitality.
As in any country branding strategy, the Presidency team aimed to identify, develop and
promote certain aspects of our identity. To prepare video materials and interactive exhibitions,
a number of features of the country were reviewed, following the so-called hexagon of factors,
starting with history, art, culture and nature and reaching political and economic factors.
This has helped to get to know Bulgaria and its potential. For many, little-known facts
were that:
- the Cyrillic alphabet, now used by over 300 million people, is the heritage that Bulgaria
leaves to Europe and the world;
- the oldest processed gold (the golden treasure of Varna 4400-4100 BC) was discovered
in the country, along with many other treasures and archaeological sites;
- our folk music is characterized by unique irregular rhythm and that the song ‘Izlel e
Delyu Haydutin’, performed by Valya Balkanska, is sent to space;
- our high jump record for women has not been beaten for 30 years already, and that
- we, Bulgarians, are a nation of inventors with popular examples in the fields of
mathematics, physics, biology, medicine: a Bulgarian has created the medicine Nivalin –
against Alzheimer; we have discovered the sixth heart tone. Our inventions include the
computer, answering machine, electronic wristwatch, automatic gearbox and many others. One
of our most recent innovations is a tablet for the blind.
We believe that it would be difficult not to fall in love with Bulgaria after the delegates
from Europe and the world had the opportunity to be in touch with our country and its people.

5.3. Internet site and social media

On 1 December 2017, the portal of the Bulgarian Presidency and its mobile application
officially launched in four languages – English, Bulgarian, German and French, reporting on
all the events of the Presidency. It was created, after a public procurement procedure, by
Information Services AD. Technical opportunities were provided for streaming of the events
during the Presidency, which was also carried out by Information Services AD. The site, the
Twitter account, and the Presidency's Facebook page were supported by the MBPCEU 2018
team.
For the six months since the beginning of the year www.eu2018bg.bg had 442,497 visits
and 56,731 unique visitors. The most read was the English version – 49 %, followed by the
Bulgarian – 16 %, the French – 5 % and the German – 4 %. (Percentages are below 100 because
they also report visits through pages directly translated from Google to other languages.) The
videos, including the specially made TV clips for the Bulgarian Presidency, uploaded to the
portal and the Facebook page of the Presidency, were viewed 2 million times. The clip
presenting Bulgaria was viewed by 1,675,885 people on www.eu2018bg.bg alone, with one
day – the day of publication – that caused 37,590 reactions. The Presidency's portal was read
and watched by young people, with the average age being between 25 and 34 years old, with
most users coming from Bulgaria, Belgium and Germany. The age of followers of the Instagram

42
account was between 18 and 34 years old. In terms of city ranking, the first place was held by
Sofia, Brussels and London.
The Facebook page of the Bulgarian Presidency had 18,000 followers, the Twitter
account – 10,000 followers, the Instagram profile – 1,300. 3,021 tweets were published in the
Twitter account in English, with the most popular of them reaching up to 100,000 impressions.

5.4. Public communication – national and regional dimension

The purpose of the national dimension of the Communication Plan was to raise the level
of awareness among Bulgarian citizens about the essence of the rotating Presidency, the
priorities, the results achieved and the contribution of our country to the development of the
EU. The plan contained all activities related to the effective communication of the Presidency
– research, production of printed, audio and video materials, visual identity, information events,
set-up of an international press center, etc.

During the preparatory period 2016–2017 and within the Presidency itself in 2018, a
series of surveys were carried out by two sociological agencies selected through public
procurement. The purpose of the surveys was to serve as a reference point in defining the main
thematic accents in communication and at the same time to help assess the effectiveness of
communication activities.
As a basis for comparison over the years, data from a Gallup International survey shows
that in December 2015 only 3 % of Bulgarians knew about the forthcoming Presidency of the
Council of the EU. For comparison, in December 2016 10 times more Bulgarians were informed
about the Presidency (again according to Gallup International), in December 2017 their
percentage increases to 83, and at the end of the Presidency in June 2018, although the
percentage of the people who are interested in the Bulgarian Presidency remains the same, the
share of Bulgarians, who are aware of the substantive aspects, priorities and achievements
within the Presidency (according to Alpha Research), is significantly increasing.
A number of events and initiatives related to the national and regional dimension of the
Presidency contributed to the evolution of the attitudes and awareness of Bulgarian citizens.
In response to the ambition of the Bulgarian Presidency to be ‘open to the citizens’, for
six months the draft of the Program was a something of a living document, reflecting the
views, visions and specific proposals of the civil society in the country. The events, initiatives
and discussions had a national and regional dimension and were attended by representatives
of business, non-governmental sector, expert and academic circles.

43
 Scheme 4: National and regional dimension of public communication during the preparation and holding
of the Bulgarian Presidency

National dimension
Within the national dimension, information events to promote the role and functions of
the Presidency and the formulation of its priorities were organized in cooperation with the civil
society, academia and business as well as in partnership with the Representation of the
European Commission and the Information Office of the European Parliament in Bulgaria.
In addition to the officially planned events – conferences, workshops and meetings
related to the political priorities of the Council of the EU – a series of thematic conferences and
debates were held on topics from the agenda related to the sectoral priorities of ministries, with
each area of discussion having its added value both for Bulgaria and for the development of the
European Union as a whole. The events took place in cooperation with a wide range of partners,
which helped deepen the political, economic and cultural dialogue between the parties.
The first of a series of public debates was held on 21 September 2017, jointly with
PanEuropa Bulgaria under the motto ‘101 Days to Sofia – Capital of Europe’, with the
participation of political scientists, sociologists, diplomats, representatives of institutions and
industrial organizations, public figures, journalists.
In a productive coordination with the National Forum of NGOs for the Bulgarian
Presidency, involving more than 50 non-governmental organizations from all over the country,
as well as with the participation of representatives of the civil sector and academic circles, on
23 October 2017, was held discussion with citizens entitled ‘Bulgarian ideas for Europe:
Dialogue between the NGO Sector and the Government’, which outlined constructive ideas and
opportunities for citizens’ contribution to the priorities of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the EU.

44
 The official opening ceremony of the Bulgarian Presidency on 11 January 2018 was
organized by the Ministry of Culture and took place in the Ivan Vazov National Theater. The
ceremony was preceded by 3D Mapping, which presented the achievements of the country in
the field of cultural and historical heritage and art. In the period 11–14 January 2018, the
journalists from the world media accredited in Brussels, as well as the College of
Commissioners, visited Bulgaria.
During the Presidency many events were organized by the Ministry for the Bulgarian
Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018, and the National Palace of Culture,
which became the ‘House of the Bulgarian Presidency’, was a center of attraction not only for
the decision-makers but also for the citizens, opening its doors to students, young people and
representatives of civil society, giving them the opportunity to be in touch with the atmosphere
and interesting moments of the Rotating Presidency.
On 22 February 2018, the National Palace of Culture opened for the first time for
students, who had the opportunity to visit the important events of the calendar of the Presidency,
to receive their answers personally from the Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the EU 2018 and take pictures. During the whole period of the Presidency, the teams
organized dozens of visits for groups of schoolchildren and university students.
On 21 May 2018, an Open Doors Day, organized by ministry officials and volunteers
for the Presidency, took place. Nearly 2,000 Sofia citizens, guests of the capital and many
foreign citizens visited the House of the Bulgarian Presidency – the National Palace of Culture.
They looked at the halls where over 20,000 delegates have held sessions for over five months.
The guests saw the emblematic round table in Hall 3, around which the EU leaders and Western
Balkan partners gathered. They learned more about the role of the rotating presidency of the
Council of the EU, the work of the Council, the important events of the calendar of the
Bulgarian Presidency as well as the numerous works of art placed in the building of the National
Palace of Culture at the time of its commissioning in 1981, in celebration of the 1300 th
anniversary of the founding of the Bulgarian state.
A special exhibition was created with the messages that European leaders wrote on the
innovative boards, which were used for constructing the dinner table for the EU summit on
16 May 2018, as well as with photographs of the meeting. It was exhibited consecutively in the
National Art Gallery and National Museum of Military History, after which it is to be
transformed into a permanent exhibition in the National Palace of Culture.
An interesting event related to the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency and aimed at
the youngest audience were the Days of Innovation for Children ‘MegaDojo’, which marked
the beginning of the Presidency and marked the end of the Presidency respectively on
6 January 2018 and 30 June 2018. The events were organized in connection with one of the
most important priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency – ‘Digital economy and skills for the
future’ and attended by EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, representatives of the Ministries of
Culture and Education and of various institutions involved with electronic governance and
protection of personal data.
Among other events under the auspices of the Presidency accompanying the official
program were the participation of Minister Pavlova in the Citizen Participation Forum on
30 May 2018, the Digital Assembly on 25–26 June 2018 and the WEBIT Festival on 27 and

45
28 June 2018, the celebration of Europe Day in the Ivan Vazov National Theater with the
participation of talented children from the Berbatov Foundation, concerts with music from the
Western Balkans respectively on 9 May and 30 June 2018 and many others.
Regional dimension
The Bulgarian Presidency gained its strong regional dimension thanks to the active
contribution of regional governors and municipal authorities throughout the country, civic
organizations and businesses at local level. The academic circles and the community of active
young people in the country also contributed to these discussions.
The Ministry for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018 played a leading
role in the implementation of the national dimension of the communication plan for the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2018 (Decision No 200 of
13 April 2017), which provided for a mechanism for cooperation with the non-governmental
sector and local authorities. In addition to the above-mentioned events at the national level, in
order to realize the regional dimension of the Presidency, activities were undertaken in three
directions: establishing a partnership with the National Association of Municipalities in the
Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB), the Europe Direct Centers and the regional governors within
the framework of the Communication Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria for the European
Union.
The grant scheme to support municipal initiatives related to the regional dimension of
the Presidency was aimed at raising the awareness of Bulgarian society about the European
Union, the commitments and benefits for our country as a member of the EU, the nature and
role of the Rotating Presidency, the priorities of the Presidency, the possibilities of the
Presidency to present the real pro-European image of Bulgaria, the results achieved in the
framework of the European integration process and the contribution of our country to
thedevelopment of the EU.
The grant scheme focused on the development and implementation of municipal projects
that would have a positive impact on the citizens' awareness of the EU and the opportunities,
benefits and commitments that are related to our membership in the Union as well as the image
of Bulgaria as a constructive and a trusted partner in the EU. The project implementation period
was 1 January to 30 June 2018 and the eligible applicants for the procedure were all 265
municipalities in the country.
For the implementation of the grant scheme, an open call for proposals was launched on
the basis of criteria for the selection and evaluation of proposals, as well as for follow-up of
project implementation and preparation of a substantive and financial report on the
implementation of the scheme.
For the organizational and technical servicing of the grant scheme for municipal projects
was designated NAMRB, whose members since 1999 are all 265 municipalities and is therefore
regarded as a legitimate representative of the local authorities, who defends their interests and
possesses the necessary experience and expertise to work at the local level on different projects.
As a result of the grant scheme, 93 projects were implemented in 87 municipalities in the
country, for which an amount of BGN 279,000 was provided by an act of the Council of
Ministers on municipal budgets. Within the projects of the regional dimension of the Bulgarian
Presidency were organized exhibitions, competitions, concerts, sports initiatives, celebrations
of significant memorial dates and events from the cultural calendars of the municipalities, some
of them related to the presentation and popularization of Bulgarian traditions, folklore and

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cultural and historical riches in line with the motto of the European Union ‘Unified in
Diversity’.
Dozens of conferences, seminars, round tables, public discussions, information days,
trainings and other events were held in the towns. Over 111,000 people actively participated in
the events, nearly half of whom were young people. Partners of the municipalities in the
implementation of the initiatives were schools, community cultural centers, museums, centers
for work with children, non-governmental organizations, local businesses, academic
communities and regional media.
In the framework of the Communication Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria for the
European Union, between September and December 2017, regional and municipal authorities
throughout the country organized a wide range of initiatives in the context of the tenth
anniversary of Bulgaria's EU membership and with the purpose to discuss and form priorities
of the Bulgarian Presidency. There were 92 events, with a particular focus on smaller
municipalities.
In the autumn of 2017, a series of public discussions was held across the country in
partnership with Europe Direct, a network of information centers of the European
Commission providing information on European Union law, policies and institutions and
contributing to enhancing debates on European integration issues by organizing events and
discussions and providing the public with feedback to the European institutions. Together with
the Europe Direct centers in Bulgaria, there were discussions in the cities: Kyustendil, Gabrovo,
Hissar, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo, Vratsa, Sliven, where the Minister for the Bulgarian
Presidency and the Deputy Minister responsible for relations with the European Parliament had
opportunity to discuss with representatives of civil society, business, young people and the local
community the topics related to the preparation, objectives and priorities of the Bulgarian
Presidency.
In summary, the national and regional dimensions of the Bulgarian Presidency have
contributed to better informing Bulgarian citizens about the significance of the Bulgarian
Presidency and the fulfilment of one of the most important principles of Bulgaria acting as
President - a Presidency open to the citizens.

5.5. Work with the Media

Work with the electronic media, the press and the internet media as a main information
channel for the Presidency had three components: 1) information sessions with journalists who
followed the preparation and covered the events of the Presidency; 2) providing the most
possible information on the preparation for and the events during the Presidency; 3) establishing
media partnerships, including regular sections and programs, broadcasting and publishing
targeted ads.
During the 2016–2017 preparation period three information meetings were held: two in
this country and one in Brussels; two meetings with representatives of the national media, one
with representatives of regional ones, organized in partnership with the European Parliament
Information Office. Over 70 representatives of national and regional media took part in them.
In parallel with that, 21 representatives of the Cohesion Policy Information Centers in the
country were trained to assist the media and citizens locally with the provision of information
on the Presidency.
During the Presidency work with the media representatives accredited to the EU
required strict compliance with the principles of neutrality and equal treatment of all the media.

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The approach to work with the media focused on transparency and open communication and
made use of traditional forms of communication with the media (press releases, interviews,
press conferences, etc.) and technical meetings, briefings and conversations with experts and
other representatives of the Presidency. Given the established practice in Brussels, there was a
special focus on work in the social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube).
Some of the main factors for attaining efficiently the Presidency’s communication goals
were the timely planning of communication activities (including prior to the start and after the
end of the Presidency), clear division of responsibilities between the communication teams in
Sofia and Brussels, taking into account the specific characteristics of the communication
environment in Brussels and making the most use of digital technologies.
There was a dedicated section for the media on the website of the Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the EU www.eu2018.bg, containing practical information for them (the so-
called Media Advisory), a calendar of media events with the option for accreditation of
journalists, information on the events, photos and videos which could be downloaded free and
in high resolution from the website for use by the media.
Four 3-minute films were made to show Bulgaria, the priorities of the Bulgarian
Presidency, the Bulgarian achievement, the results of the Presidency. Based on these films,
additional eighteen 30-second videos and eighteen 30-second audios were recorded. There was
a special musical composition for the Presidency and an animated logo. A team from the
Bulgarian National Television made a special documentary on the Bulgarian Presidency.
The media analysis shows that 36,208 materials were published and broadcast for the six-
month Bulgarian Presidency, with only 4.8% (1700) negative ones. For the sake of comparison,
there were 27,581 publications on the presidency in the second half of 2017 (July–December
2017).
In December 2017, an informational campaign was launched on the coverage of the
highlights of the Bulgarian Presidency, ‘media shop’, following the completion of a public
procurement procedure under the Public Procurement Act. The campaign was aimed at
communicating the ideas, results this country achieved, and the efforts made to play the role of
a mediator in the dialogue with the other 27 EU Member States. Publications in the digital and
social media were in the form of advertising materials (banners) and PR materials in dedicated
specialized sections. There were four major communication pillars with the planning for the
digital and social media; they created the potential for the most comprehensive and precise
achievements of the goals; they were: Publications, Premium, Performance and Social Media.
The analysis show that 409 advertising information materials in total were published for
the period from December 2017 to July 2018.
During the six-month Presidency, the information highlights followed its intense
schedule. There was wide coverage of what has been achieved by individual sectors, expert
meetings and international conferences for which the relevant ministries were responsible. All
the materials described the work of the Presidency in detail and reader-friendly manner and
there were a series of analyses covering the entire period of the Presidency and giving an
objective account of what has been achieved in terms of the individual priorities.

5.6. International Press Center

The International Press Center for the Bulgarian Presidency was set up in accordance with
the standards of the General Secretariat of the Council.

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 By the end of 2017, 116 working places for writing journalists, 8 radio cabins,
5 television cabins with four working places were created, with the possible addition of 5 more
television cabins. Equipment was provided for a press conference hall with 240 places, a
briefing hall with 40 places, 2 stand-up positions, spaces for interviews, the host broadcaster
the Bulgarian National Television, a radio studio for the Bulgarian National Radio. The
necessary technical equipment was provided so that the press center can broadcast images from
events of A and C category and some major B category events. An information system with a
video broadcasting of communications was constructed for journalists.
The capacity of the press center saw an exponential increase for the EU – Western
Balkans Summits with as many as 700 working places, additional 15 television cabins were set
up and 11 rooms were equipped for national briefings. Additional multi-media screens and
monitors were installed in the press center rooms. With the support of the BNT, the television
and sound broadcasting were divided into two: one broadcasting the speeches from the main
press conference hall and the other broadcasting the national press conferences of the
33 delegations. The stand-up positions also increased from two to four.
By Decision No 165 of 23 March 2017 of the Council of Ministers, the Bulgarian
National Television (BNT) was designated to be the host television responsible for broadcasting
images and sound from the events during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the
European Union in 2018 and for providing free images to all the accredited Bulgarian and
foreign media during the events.
With the changes of June 2017 to Ordinance No 67 of the Council of Ministers of 2017
on the endorsement of the forecast cost breakdown for the preparation and holding of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2018 and the additional costs in
2017, a total of BGN 7 600 000 of funds were provided for 2017–2018.
With the changes of September to Ordinance No 114 of the Council of Ministers of 2016
on the creation of a national mechanism for coordination of the preparation and holding of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2018, the functions and
responsibilities of the BNT were provided.
The functions of the BNT as a host broadcaster of free audio and video signal for the
Presidency were divided into two major elements. On the one hand, ensuring the optimal
functioning of the International Press Center by setting up the technical and cable infrastructure,
supporting an information channel for journalists through the monitors in the press center,
setting up stand up positions, ensuring the necessary technical teams for the maintenance of the
equipment. On the other hand, ensuring audio-visual coverage of the Presidency events of A
and C categories and other official events requested by the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the European Union (MBPCEU), and broadcasting the signal in real time on
the territory of the press center and to the audio-visual section of the European Commission
Europe by Satellite (EbS). At the end of each meeting, the BNT prepared video materials from
the events, available in at least two types of resolution for the Presidency portal and video
footage of the latest developments for EbS. Thus, the host television broadcast live to EbS and
to the website www.eu2018bg.bg over 40 hours of production. BNT had a weekly section
summarizing what has been achieved at the particular meetings and also made a documentary
on the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
By Decision No 724 of 24 November 2017 of the Council of Ministers, a draft
agreement was adopted on the provision of exclusive rights for the use of audio-visual products
created by the Bulgarian National Television it its capacity of a host broadcaster of image and
sound of the events during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in

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2018; it was signed by the Minister responsible for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of
the EU in 2018 and director general of the BNT.
The partnership with Europe by Satellite was based on an agreement between the
Minister responsible for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018 and director
general of Communications of the European Commission for free live broadcasting of
television signal from the high-level events in Sofia. This agreement made it possible for the
events from the Bulgarian Presidency to be broadcast via satellite from Europe by Satellite and
to be used by electronic media in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. All the media
received the signal free of charge and broadcast images and sound from the Summit, the
informal councils, the ministerial conferences, the events related to the priorities of the
Bulgarian Presidency.
All the high-level A-category events were broadcast live for EbS on www.eu2018bg.bg
and on the Facebook page of the Presidency with 130 000 views being registered. Streaming in
different languages was provided on the website of the Parliamentary Dimension
parleu2018bg.bg and some sessions and press conferences were also broadcast live for EbS.
Accredited journalists
39 high-level events were open to the media during the six-month Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the EU. The included the visit of the College of Commissioners, 12 informal
council meetings, 2 ASEM of the Ministers of Culture and the Ministers of Finance, 5 meetings
of the Parliamentary Dimension of the Presidency, etc. In January, a special visit of journalists
from respected international media, 56 people took part in it. 4795 journalists from 20 countries
were accredited to events of the Bulgarian Presidency. Nearly one-fifth of them were from
foreign media from the EU Member States, the Western Balkans, Turkey, China. International
agencies such a Reuters, France Press, DPA, Itar TASS, Xinhua, etc. were present at the events
in Sofia. The television channels (1694) were most interested in the coverage of live events,
followed by the radio stations (664), online media (599) and the press (280), 173 photographers
were also accredited to the meetings. The greatest number of media representatives covered the
EU-Western Balkans Summit: 790 journalists were present.
The experience from the Presidency shows that it is highly recommended to have in place
clear rules as to the responsibilities and the internal communication between the individual
communication units and the organization of trainings for representatives of the communication
teams of the responsible ministries, and that media coverage should be planned together with
them.
As to the official website of the Presidency, it is essential to complete it in time – it should
be full operational and ready a month before the opening of the Presidency. It is recommended
that the versions of the website in other languages should be supported and updated by members
of the team who have a good command of the respective foreign language, know the
terminology and have specific knowledge about the relevant topics.
An important recommendation to be stressed is also to start the preparation of the
agreement with Europe by Satellite at least half a year before the start of the Presidency. As to
the work of the International Press Center, it is crucial to ensure high-speed internet so that it
can work successfully.

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 6. Budget
The preparation and holding of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in
2018 required reasonable planning and the provision of the necessary financial resources for
the three-year period from 2016 to 2018.
In 2016 the Council of Ministers adopted Ordinance No 125 of 2016 on the approval of
estimated distribution of the costs for the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency
of the Council of the European Union in 2018 and of additional costs for 2016. The ordinance
envisaged the provision of BGN 6,711,000 in 2016. At the end of the budget year, funds
amounting to BGN 4,699,236 were reported and there remained BGN 2,011,764.
In 2017 two ordinances were adopted and provided for funds amounting to
BGN 52,238,980, the amount of BGN 41,854,705 was reported, and BGN 10,384,275
remained.
Ordinance No 15 of 2017 of the Council of Ministers on the approval of additional costs
for 2017 for the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the
European Union in 2018 provided for funds amounting to BGN 9,398,900 and at the end of
budgetary 2017 the amount of BGN 5,959,924 was reported while BGN 3,439,056 remained.
Ordinance No 67 of 2017 of the Council of Ministers on the approval of the estimated
distribution of costs for the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council
of the European Union in 2018 and of additional costs for 2017 provided for funds amounting
to BGN 42,840,000 and at the end of budgetary 2017 the amount of BGN 35,894,781 was
reported while BGN 6,945,219 remained
In 2018 the Council of Ministers adopted Ordinance No 15 of 2018 on the approval of
additional costs/ transfers for 2018 for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European
Union in 2018. The ordinance provided for funds amounting to BGN 49,147,624 for the three-
year period from 2016 to 2018, the amount of BGN 37,321,860 was reported while
BGN 11,825,764 remained.
Based on the date available as of 31 October 2018, it is to be concluded that fund in the
amount of around BGN 109 million were provided in total, the amount of BGN 84 million was
reported while the amount of over BGN 24 million remained.
It should be born in mind that the specified amount concerns 31 ministries and other
bodies and institutions and 87 municipalities.
The three-year budget framework for the preparation and holding of the Bulgarian
Presidency also provided funds for the main building of the NDK /National Place of Culture/
designated, by a Decision of 16 September 2015 of the Council of Ministers as an appropriate
building to host the events of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
A total of BGN 45 million were provided for funding the restructuring and reconstruction of
the building by Ordinance No 193 of 2016 of the Council of Ministers on the approval of
changes to the budget of the Council of Ministers of 2016 in relation to the increase in the
capital of the commercial company and by Ordinance No 156 of 2017 of the Council of
Ministers on the approval of changes to the budget of the Ministry of Culture for 2017 in relation
to the increase in the capital of the commercial company.
By Ordinance No 129 of 2017 of the Council of Ministers on the approval of additional
costs/ transfers for 2017, the amount of BGN 12 million was provided to the Ministry of
Interior, the State Agency for National Security and Sofia Municipality for the implementation

51
of the security measures at the events during of the holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the
Council of the EU in 2018.
Based on the data available as of 31 October 2018, for the three-year period for the
preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, a total of about
BGN 166,000,000 were provided, the amount of BGN 142 000 000 was reported while
BGN 22,000,000 surplus remained.
The budget of the Bulgarian Presidency is comparable to the one of previous rotating
presidencies (e.g. the one of Estonia (in 2017), EUR 75 million, the Netherlands (in 2016) EUR
75 million, etc.) and it should be noted that half the expenditure, about BGN 80 million, was
invested in the reconstruction and restructure of buildings which will continue to exist after the
end of the presidency and this implies the sustainability of the investments. This will make it
possible for Sofia to become not only a cultural centre but also a conference centre in the
country.
All the activities involving the expenses in relation to the Presidency were in line with
the legislation in force concerning the public spending.

7. Conclusions and Recommendations

The rotating presidency is a period of intense negotiations which are a complex
combination of institutional interests, governmental preferences, leaders’ strategies and legal
procedures to achieve agreement and policy-making. It involves considerable potential for the
country presiding over the Council of the EU: to be a successful leader in the complex decision-
making process in the EU.
Based on Bulgaria’s experience with the preparation and organization of the Bulgarian
rotating presidency, valuable conclusions and recommendations can be drawn both in terms of
the involvement in the process of adoption of legislation, the development and implementation
of policies at European level and in terms of future planning and organization of events of such
dimension.
Conclusions
1. The Bulgarian Presidency, under the motto ‘United we stand strong’, performed its four
major interlinked functions of a fair mediator, representative, administrator-coordinator,
political leader.
2. The goals set by the Presidency were sufficiently ambitious but at the same time feasible
which made it possible for Bulgaria to be an efficient leader and a fair mediator having an
open and transparent working manner.
3. The preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency were based on a clearly defined
legislative framework enabling predictability, traceability and transparency of the process,
clear distribution of powers and responsibilities, efficient coordination and interaction at
expert and political level.
4. The activities undertaken in relation to the Presidency were timely, coordinated and
appropriate which ensured the highest level of efficiency, comparing the actual and
expected results of the Bulgarian Presidency.

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5. Defining the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency was based on an in-depth analysis of the
challenges to the EU, the ongoing legislation process, the strategic vision of the European
Council and the legislative priorities of the Union, set in the Joint Declaration of the three
EU institutions. Defining a specific priority gives identity to a presidency: the European
Perspective and Connectivity of the Western Balkans was such a priority for the Bulgarian
Presidency.
6. Good cooperation among all stakeholders in the preparation of the priorities and the
programme of the Bulgarian Presidency – on the one hand, regional governors, mayors and
representatives of local authorities, as well as the representatives of the non-governmental
sector, the academia and the business, and, on the other hand, the representatives of the
National Parliament, the Council for European Affairs and the Coordination Board of the
Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU – ensured the implementation of the goals.
7. The strategic planning and the overall organization of the Presidency were carried out
within the framework of the existing national coordination mechanism on European Affairs
and the created Coordination Board for the Rotational Presidency. The Presidency
coordination model was highly successful.
8. The leadership approach used during the Presidency was “situational”, which means
flexible and in terms of the different management style, circumstances and participants in
the process.
9. The choice of a Brussels-based model contributed to the efficiency, rapidness and optimal
use of resources at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the
European Union and in the capital during the Presidency in the context of a relatively
smaller administration.
10. It was a positive experience that the Permanent Representation made a timely selection of
heads of policy sectors to coordinate the work of the staff in the relevant sector and the
communication with the relevant authorities and bodies.
11. The seconded staff from the EU institutions provided the necessary expert assistance with
no financial costs on the Bulgarian part in areas in which there was extraordinary pressure.
12. The descriptive table, prepared by the Permanent Representation, containing key legislative
and non-legislative dossiers, the desired objective, possible scenarios and dates of the
discussion in the working groups, COREPER and the Council, was especially useful to
monitor the development of the work on individual dossiers and to plan the work on them.
The table was updated on a monthly basis.
13. The close cooperation with the European Parliament was crucial. The Presidency needs to
make timely targeted efforts to interact with the EP in its capacity of a co-legislator. The
success of the Presidency resulted from the development of a network with the leading
participants in the sectorial legislative process and this started at the very beginning of the
preparation stage of the Bulgarian Presidency.
14. The opportunity to be present at the negotiations at the earliest possible stage, during the
previous Presidency, was one of the most important aspects of the preparation for the
trialogues.
15. Dialogue with civil society and the strong Parliamentary Dimension were essential to
achieving democratic legitimacy of the European agenda during the Bulgarian Presidency.

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16. All the communication activities during the Bulgarian Presidency were in line with the
principles of accountability and transparency in terms of the decisions adopted, the activities
undertaken and the results obtained for the benefit of the European citizens and economy.
17. The organization and logistics of the events during the Bulgarian Presidency required
efficient coordination between the teams of the MBPCEU and the responsible ministries,
thus transforming a considerable challenge into a successful completion.
18. The funding for all the activities of preparation and holding of the Bulgarian Presidency
was in line with the legislation in force in the field of public spending.
19. The good choice of: *locations ensuring rooms of different capacity, modern technical
equipment, convenient environment in terms of architecture and location; *an efficient
delegate accreditation system; *volunteers to assist the delegates and protocol for the
events; *transport and catering at excellent level contributed to the guests’ high appreciation
of and the success of the events during the Presidency.
20. The efforts invested in building good cooperation with the representatives of civil society,
the academia, the business, the non-governmental and expert community, the young people
also played an important role for the successful organization of the first Bulgarian
Presidency. The strong national and regional dimension of the Bulgarian Presidency
contributed to the better awareness of the Bulgarian citizens about the nature of the EU and
the importance of the Presidency, its priorities and outcome and made it possible for the
Presidency to be close and open to citizens.
Recommendations
1. The Presidency should be an honest broker because the good rotational presidency is
open and equally distant from the positions of the different Member States; its strength
lies with impartiality, the transparency, the sharing of information, instead of keeping
it.
2. The Presidency should be a good communicator with a vision and willingness to work
for the convergence of the positions of the Member States, and of Council of the EU
and the other two key institutions of the co-called “EU institutional triangle ”, the
European Parliament and the European Commission.
3. The Presidency should work in team and in tandem with the so-called Trio of
Presidencies not only for the joint programme but also in the process of its
implementation to ensure the smooth transition in the legislative process and should be
results-oriented to the benefit of the citizens. The 18-month programme provides for a
plan which looks to the future and which is centered around the legitimate expectations
of the European citizens for tackling together the complex common challenges and for
reinforcing trust in a Union closer to the EU public.
4. The careful choice of priorities for the rotational presidency of the Council of the
European Union is one of the prerequisites for achieving good results because its
success is usually measured in terms of its work on the set priorities.
5. The Presidency should be open to citizens and interact efficiently with the non-
governmental sector, the business, the academia and the young people so that their
intellectual, expert and innovative potential can contribute to formulating and achieving
its priorities.

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6. The rotatiting presidency should have its regional dimension. Therefore, a wide
discussion on the priorities of the Presidency should be encouraged at the stage of
preparation not only at national but also at regional level.
7. The Presidency should be prepared for dialogue and invest in the relations with the
major institutions involved in the legislative process focusing in particular on the
European Parliament as a co-legislator and the European Commission as an initiator of
legislation. The good cooperation with the European Economic and Social Committee
and the Committee of the Regions also brings added value.
8. The excellent preparation for the visit of the Conference of Presidents of the EP and of
the College of Commissioners in the capital of the Presidency as one of the most
important official events which traditionally open the rotational presidency is also very
important for the Member State presiding the Council of the EU, in order to establish
good cooperation with the EP and the EC as key institutions in the legislative process.
9. Ensuring an appropriate format and forum for the discussion of strategic and expert
decisions on files tabled during the Presidency of the Council of the EU (following the
example of the Council on European Affairs and the Coordination Board) contributes
to carrying out successive and coordinated activities.
10. Ensuring the participation of all the stakeholders - both at political and at expert level -
in the Presidency is important, considering the complexity and predominantly horizontal
nature of the legislative proposals of the European Commission.
11. The Presidency should be motivated to succeed and find agreement, but at the same
time it should have a strategy for complex situations. The members of the Presidency
team – from the chairpersons of the working groups, the Sherpas, the permanent and
deputy permanent representatives in COREPER to the deputy Ministers in the trialogues
and the Ministers presiding the Council – should have practical skills for chairing
meetings, communication skills, skills for facilitating discussions and negotiations; they
should be familiar with the working style of the delegations and experts from the
individual Member States; they should be well aware of the positions of the three
institutions during trialogues.
12. The commitment and involvement of the political level in the preparation and
organization of the Presidency, i.e. the Ministers and Deputy Ministers, guarantees that
responsible decisions are taken on important issues, and increases the representativeness
among the partners from the Member States, the European Commission and the
European Parliament.
13. During the preparation process, it is crucial to plan in a timely manner the necessary
additional human and financial resources. The preliminary assessment of the necessary
Presidency staff should take into account the number of people planned for previous
presidencies and the potential volume of legislative initiatives which are expected to be
deliberated. Before taking the final decision on the secondment of staff and the
involvement of experts from the EU institutions, it is recommended to keep the option
of reconsidering the staff in order to assess whether the estimate is still realistic and
whether it needs to be adapted in terms of sectors.
14. The Presidency team should comprise both civil servants who are very familiar with the
administrative processes, and specialized experts in the individual areas of the
preparation and realisation. This gives a considerable added value to the planning of
activities and brings the necessary expertise.

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15. Good planning contributes to the full achievement of the objectives of the training
programmes for developing the competences of the Presidency team. The public
procurement procedures (application, approval and reporting) need to be prepared on
time, especially when the trainings from the national programme are project-based. It is
recommended to organize the trainings in time, before starting the active preparation of
the Presidency when the first meetings and the presentation of the team and presidency
priorities.
16. The communication activities of the Presidency in Brussels, Luxembourg and
Strasbourg should be planned and organized in close cooperation with the relevant
services of the Council of the EU, taking into account the good practices of previous
presidencies and possibly in coordination with the other institutions of the EU, in
compliance with the principles of openness and transparency, and considering the
specific characteristics of negotiation process for each dossier. The Presidency should
be very careful with the participation in press conferences announcing the success of
the trialogues, before informing the Member States. It should discuss the outcome of
the latest trialogue meeting in COREPER before informing the public.
17. Among the key factors for the efficient implementing of the Presidency’s
communication goals are: *timely planning of communication activities (before the
start, during and after the end of the Presidency); *clear distribution of responsibilities
between the communication teams in the capital and in Brussels; *arranging a
coordination mechanism for internal communication with clearly defined
responsibilities; *close cooperation with the communication teams in the responsible
ministries and authorities; *dialogue with the media and making use of the digital
technologies. .
18. The schedule of events during the Presidency in the host country and the logistics for
them should be prepared following careful and timely planning, including setting up the
responsible teams and training them, choosing the time and venue of the events,
estimating the expected number of delegates, analysing the needs, timely preparation of
the required public procurement procedures and overall planning for the organization of
the events during the Presidency.
19. As to the logistics and organization, it is important to develop and put in place a
delegates’ accreditation system, considering the scale of the events organized during the
rotational presidency. Time and budget permitting, it is recommended to set up your
own accreditation system which should be user-friendly, with convenient interfaces,
tailor-made to the needs of the particular presidency. The system should be tested at
least three months before putting it into operation.
20. The success of a Presidency depends on making it a common cause for all the
institutions, the political parties and society at large.

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