BULGARIAN Foreign Minister Solomon Passi participated in a closed-door meeting of EU ministers of foreign affairs during the Intergovernmental Conference at the end of last week in Italy. At the meeting 28 foreign ministers of EU member, acceding and candidate countries tried to reach a consensus on proposals by the Italian Presidency aimed at reaching political agreement on the text of the future European constitution. According to information released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria took part as an observer.
Foreign ministers progressed in discussing the size of the European Commission in an enlarged EU, reaching a wide agreement that every country should have a commissioner, BTA said. Ministers also discussed the entire package of texts proposed by the Italian presidency.
Passi expressed the hope that a compromise would soon be reached on controversial issues. He set out his opinion on the main institutional problems and on different fields of EU activities- economic and financial policies, defence, justice and internal affairs.
The question of voting was not solved at the meeting. Spain and Poland oppose a text in the draft constitution, which sets most decisions to be made by a "double majority" of at least half of EU member states representing 60 per cent of the total population, BTA said.
Passi raised the issue of the signing of the final act of the conference by the countries with observer status. Bulgaria supported Romania's proposal to adopt a declaration to the Transitional Provisions Protocol on EU institutions regulating the number of seats Bulgaria and Romania will have in the European parliament and the number of their votes in the EU council.
Passi met 23 of his counterparts, including those from France, Greece, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, the UK, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Spain. He said that the adoption of the European constitution is important for Bulgaria in view of its accession to the EU.
Foreign ministers progressed in discussing the size of the European Commission in an enlarged EU, reaching a wide agreement that every country should have a commissioner, BTA said. Ministers also discussed the entire package of texts proposed by the Italian presidency.
Passi expressed the hope that a compromise would soon be reached on controversial issues. He set out his opinion on the main institutional problems and on different fields of EU activities- economic and financial policies, defence, justice and internal affairs.
The question of voting was not solved at the meeting. Spain and Poland oppose a text in the draft constitution, which sets most decisions to be made by a "double majority" of at least half of EU member states representing 60 per cent of the total population, BTA said.
Passi raised the issue of the signing of the final act of the conference by the countries with observer status. Bulgaria supported Romania's proposal to adopt a declaration to the Transitional Provisions Protocol on EU institutions regulating the number of seats Bulgaria and Romania will have in the European parliament and the number of their votes in the EU council.
Passi met 23 of his counterparts, including those from France, Greece, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, the UK, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Spain. He said that the adoption of the European constitution is important for Bulgaria in view of its accession to the EU.
