THE European parliament is expected give its consent on April 13 to the EU member states signing the EU accession treaty with Bulgaria, a key step towards the official signing of the treaty on April 25 in Luxembourg.
This emerged after the meeting between Foreign Minister Solomon Passi and the speaker of the European parliament, Josep Borrell, in Strasbourg on March 7.
"I expect that after the end of this summer, Bulgarian MPs will actively participate in the work of the European parliament," Borrelll said.
He also praised Bulgaria for its achievements in preparing for EU membership.
Passi held a series of meetings in the European parliament.
Graham Watson, chairman of the group of the alliance of liberals and democrats for Europe, expressed the support of his political formation for the approval of the signing the accession treaty with Bulgaria.
The two sides also discussed the issue of the Bulgarian nurses in Libya. Watson expressed his compassion for the suffering of the infected children but emphasised that the blame for their infection did not lie with the Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor.
Passi also discussed the issue with the nurses with Council of Europe secretary general Terry Davis.
The two exchanged up-to-date information on the trial of the nurses. Davis reaffirmed the Council of Europe's commitment to helping achieve a just settlement of the case.
Meanwhile, the European parliament approved the agenda of its March plenary session on March 7, putting the Bulgarian nurses' case down for discussion on the afternoon of March 9.
The European Council and the European Commission were expected to issue a declaration in answer to a question on the matter by Watson.