19.4.2007

European Parliament's Chairman on Official Visit to Bulgaria

The president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering arrives on a two-day official visit to Bulgaria on Thursday.

The visit coincides with the beginning of the MEP election campaign. For that reason Poettering will call all Bulgarian for taking active part in the forthcoming elections, underlining the exclusive role the institution plays in forming the European legislation.

In the framework of his visit, Poettering will confer with Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov, the Prime-Minister Sergey Stanishev, the Parliament's Head Georgi Pirinski and other leading politicians.

The EP's chairman is to deliver a speech during the ceremonial parliamentary sitting.

As Poettering does on each official visit of his, he will meet representatives of the minorities. In Bulgaria the EP's chief is expected to confer with Roma non-governmental organizations.

Later in the day, Poettering is to open the Information Bureau of the European Parliament in Sofia.

German conservative Hans-Gert Poettering, 61, was elected President of the European Parliament on January 16 2007 garnering 450 out of 689 votes.

He is a close ally of German Chancellor Merkel and a backer of the EU's embattled constitution.

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