Bulgaria's prime minister has reiterated calls on Canada's government to drop the visa requirement for the country's citizens, part of efforts to make travel to Canada visa-free for all EU states.

“Bulgaria has already covered all criteria, which your country monitored when it decided to lift the visa regime for the citizens of Croatia,” Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said at his meeting with Canadian Minister of International Trade, Peter Van Loan, on Wednesday in Sofia.

Borisov assured his Canadian guest that the country has taken a hard line on organized crime and corruption so that the safety of international investors in Bulgaria is secured.

He stressed that the government sticks to a tight fiscal policy and the budget for next year envisages a budget deficit under 3% and no raise in taxes.

“All these measures and concrete steps give us the confidence that you are moving in the right direction,” said Peter Van Loan.

He promised that he will raise the issues at a meeting with the other members of the government.

Earlier in the day the visa regime question was raised by Bulgaria’s Minister of Economy and Energy, Traicho Traikov, who pointed out that Bulgaria is among the only three EU Member States, whose citizens need visas to enter Canada.

Canada's government dropped the visa requirement for citizens of Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania and Hungary in March 2008 and vowed to continue to work in cooperation with Bulgaria and Romania, with the goal of having visa-free travel for all EU citizens.

Canadian officials said they will conduct technical visits to these countries as part of CIC's ongoing review to determine when visa requirements can be removed.

Tensions escalated after the country imposed visa requirements on travelers from Mexico and the Czech Republic in July last year after a big jump in refugee claims from these two countries.

Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary all joined the EU in May 2004, Bulgaria and Romania entered the European block at the beginning of 2007.

Canadians can travel anywhere in the 27-nation EU without a visa, and the EU would like all its 493 million people to enjoy the same privilege in Canada.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!