Bulgaria PM Sergey Stanishev is to inform EC President Jose Manuel Barroso of Bulgaria's progress. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)
Bulgaria PM Sergey Stanishev is to meet Thursday EC President Barroso in order to inform him about the achievements of the country after the last critical EU report on Bulgaria's progress.
Stanishev told media that the concrete reason for the meeting is the recent decision of the Commission to block millions of euro for Bulgaria under the PHARE programme over violations and embezzlement.
"That decision disappointed the Bulgarian government and the society," Stanishev said at an extraordinary press conference on Wednesday.
The Premier plans to inform Brussels about the achievements of the Socialist-led government, which has often been accused of corruption during its mandate and has survived six non-confidence votes.
Stanishev's visit also aims at improving the dialogue between Bulgarian institutions and the EC.