site.btaFinance Minister Participates in EU Council Meeting in Luxembourg 

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev attended the Economic and Financial Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Friday, his ministry said Saturday. He also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts Paschal Donohoe of Ireland and Nadia Calvino of Spain.

The Council discussed the Russian military aggression in Ukraine and the rising prices of energy resources. Vassilev underscored the link between the two topics and the risk of problems with food deliveries worsening in autumn. He argued that the drastic drop in grain supplies might cause a new refugee wave unless the EU acts together to support its closest eastern and southern neighbours. He gave as an example of a successful model the European Commission’s (EC) work on a Sofia-based regional platform for joint purchases of gas and hydrogen. 

On the topic of the EC-proposed package of new, own resources in the EU budget, Vassilev expressed readiness for its review but stressed that there still are unclear aspects, including regarding budget effects.