I. Bulgarian National Chapter of the Centre for
European
Policy Studies
The Center for the Study of Democracy was invited to
become the Bulgarian partner of the Centre for European Policy
Studies (CEPS), Brussels in order to establish a Bulgarian National
Chapter. The first meeting of the Bulgarian National Chapter took
place on June 23, 1994, and was hosted by Ambassador Thomas
O'Sullivan, Head of the Delegation of the Commission of the
European Communities to Bulgaria. Guest speakers were Mr. Peter
Ludlow, Director of CEPS, and Dr. Jorgen Mortensen, Senior Research
Fellow at CEPS. About thirty public figures participated, including
Mr. Filip Dimitrov, leader of the Union of Democratic Forces, and
former Prime Minister, Mr. Kiril Velev, Minister of Trade, Mr.
Todor Tchourov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Georgi
Pirinski and Mr. Atanas Paparizov, both Members of Parliament. The
meeting of the National Chapter was followed by a seminar on the
same topic.
The Second meeting of the Bulgarian National Chapter
was held on October 27, 1994 and was hosted by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. This meeting focused on "The European Union
Policies Towards the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe:
Preparation for the Essen Summit". Guest speakers from CEPS were
Mr. Peter Ludlow, Director, and Prof. Jacques Pelkmans, Senior
Research Fellow. Mr. Todor Tchourov, Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs, presented the position of the Bulgarian government. The
discussion continued over dinner given by Mr. Ivan Stancioff,
Minister of Foreign Affairs. The meeting was attended by over
thirty distinguished personalities, including Ambassador Thomas
O'Sullivan, Ms. Anastasia Moser, President of the Agrarian Party,
Mr. Lyubomir Filipov, Deputy Governor of the Bulgarian National
Bank, Mr. Filip Bokov and Mr. Georgi Pirinski, both Members of
Parliament from the Socialist Party, and Mr. Kamen Velichkov,
Foreign Affairs Advisor to the President.
The National Chapter meeting was followed by a
seminar on the subject of "Institutional Reform and Bulgarian-EU
Relations Before the Essen Summit," on October 28, 1994 held at
CSD.
II. Europe 2000: Bulgaria and the European
Union
1994 also included preparatory work for CSD's
project Europe 2000: Bulgaria and the European Union. The purpose
of the project is to prepare a White Paper on Bulgaria's accession
strategy to the European Union. The launching of the project was
set for early 1995. The project is coordinated by Mr. Stanislav
Daskalov, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. Leading
experts in the various fields covered by the Europe Agreement will
prepare reports outlining the present state of affairs and the
necessary measures for the implementation of the Agreement. Major
financial support for the project is provided by the PHARE program
of the European Union.
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