On January 18, 2018, an official ceremony was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Washington, DC to mark the beginning of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The event was attended by representatives from the US Congress, National Security Council, State Department, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of the Treasury, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, American Jewish Organizations, Think-tanks and NGOs, the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, business representatives, Bulgarian community, employees of the EU Delegation and others.
In his speech Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev highlighted the goals and the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. He pointed out that Bulgaria has the ambition to meet the expectations of the European citizens to find concrete solutions to specific problems Europe is facing nowadays. The only way to achieve the common goals is Unity. In this context, Ambassador Stoytchev stressed on the motto of the Bulgarian Presidency – “United We Stay Strong”, which is also the motto of the National Assembly and the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Bulgaria. It was emphasized that the Bulgarian Presidency will work for the unity between member states and for the unity between the European institutions. The program of the Presidency is built on three main pillars: stability, security and solidarity and includes four priority areas: The future of Europe and the young people through sustainable economic growth and social cohesion; Security and Stability; European Perspective and Connectivity of the Western Balkans; Digital Economy and skills for the future with a focus on completing the Single Digital Market.
Here are some pictures from the event:
