On October 12, H. E. Mr. Alejandro Polanco, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Bulgaria, and his spouse, Mrs. Ángeles Alastrue,

hosted a reception at the "Lozenets" residence on the occasion of the national holday of the country. The event was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Acad. Nikolay Denkov, the Vice President Mrs. Iliyana Yotova, ministers, H. M. Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, ambassadors, deputies, representatives of Bulgarian institutions, business, media, Spaniards living in Bulgaria, and  friends.

H. E. Mr. Alejandro Polanco addressed his guests with a strong and moving welcoming speech:

Bilateral relations between Spain and Bulgaria are excellent in every aspect. In the political sphere, special efforts have been made by both sides over the past year, leading to several ministerial-level visits in the areas of economy, investments, and trade during the first half of the year.

The success of the visit by the Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to his Bulgarian counterpart and another visit to Madrid by state secretaries of the European Union were also highlighted. Yesterday, political consultations between the general directorates for Europe were held, confirming their strong connection and shared interests in European agenda matters.

In the economic sphere, Spain is among Bulgaria's main trading partners, one of the main investors in the country, one of the most frequent destinations of Bulgarian economic emigration and the third largest source of emigrant remittances.

Bilateral efforts have been made to expand investment opportunities and cooperation in strategic sectors in which Spain excels, such as rail transport, aviation management, civil and transport infrastructure, and the military sector.

It is important to highlight recent investments in the high-tech automotive parts manufacturing sector.

In the internal affairs sphere, cooperation between our countries is excellent and extends beyond the technical realm to more operational collaboration, yielding positive results, particularly in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.

One of the great successes of our bilateral relations is emerging in the field of education. There is a progressive increase in the number of students studying Spanish, despite the declining demographic trend.Top of Form

There are currently 18 bilingual Spanish sections in Bulgaria with 18 Spanish teachers and a total of 30,000 students learning Spanish.

Furthermore, a recent agreement was signed between the education ministries of both countries, expanding bilingual Spanish sections to primary education.

In the field of culture, intensive activities have been developed in collaboration with Bulgarian institutions, aiming to reach all regions of the country through various exhibitions, conferences and concerts outside Sofia.

Under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Varna hosted a concert on the occasion of the transfer of the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second half of the year from Sweden to Spain. The culmination of the event was the performance of the Ode to Joy.

I would like to highlight the exhibitions held at Sofia Airport the latest of which opened last Friday. Additionally, there is an upcoming seminar on artificial intelligence and a new exhibition that we are preparing, focusing on the shared history of Spain and Bulgaria in the European Union.

Another important aspect of our bilateral relations is the candidacies in various institutions.

This year, with the support of Spain, Bulgaria was elected as a member of the Executive Council during the voting at the meeting of the Regional Commission for Europe of the World Tourism Organization,.

In addition, this Tuesday Bulgaria was elected as a member of the Human Rights Council for the term 2024-2026, with the support from Spain. This election took place within the framework of the agreement for reciprocal support for this institution.

Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Under the motto "Europe, closer", expressing the EU's desire to get closer to ordinary citizens, Spain proposed a presidency with priorities aimed at strengthening key areas of the European project that contribute to its progress and guarantee its stability in the context of global uncertainty :

    - Achieving open strategic autonomy and initiating a process of reindustrialization;

   - Deepening the green transition;

   - Promoting greater social and economic justice;

   - Strengthening European unity.

In addition to the challenge of the war in Ukraine, terrorist attacks against Israel have now emerged. I would like to join the words of His Majesty King Felipe VI in expressing "strong condemnation and denial" of the attacks, as well as our solidarity with the victims and their families, with the hope to soon see the "liberation and return of the kidnapped people."

At the same time, I want to congratulate the Bulgarian government for the rescue operation for the Bulgarian citizens there, carried out during the past weekends.

Results of the Spanish Presidency

Even before the conclusion of the- six month term, the Spanish Presidency is already presenting some specific results.

Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (July 17-18). One of its key achievements was the institutionalization of the dialogue - biennial summits guided by a bi-regional roadmap and the creation of the EU-CELAC Consultative Coordination Mechanism.

Furthermore, the Global Gateway initiative was included in the declaration from the high-level meeting with over 135 public-private investment projects and 45 billion euros by 2027 in the area of digital transformation, education, healthcare infrastructure, or energy production, among others.

Memoranda of understanding for political dialogue were signed with Ecuador, El Salvador and Honduras. Additionally, Memoranda of Understanding for energy cooperation were signed with Argentina and Uruguay, and for cooperation on critical raw materials with Chile.

The immigration agreement. Two weeks ago, Spain facilitated the agreement of the 27 which managed to unblock the Pact on migration and asylum, respecting the key principles of responsibility and solidarity with the member states with an external border. This was one of the priorities of the Spanish Presidency on Home Affairs.

The meeting in Granada (October 6-7). The informal European Council in Granada ratified the principles of strategic autonomy necessary for a strong, dynamic, competitive and cohesive Europe.

Consensus was reached on the need to reduce energy dependence and diversify the economic base. Agreement was made to strengthen European defense capabilities and take greater responsibility for security.

Additionally it was decided to invest in the expansion and development of our industrial and technological base. All these initiatives are set - against the backdrop of the freedom of our common market, which makes us stronger and better prepared to be competitive in the long term and on a global scale.

There are still some issues to be resolved that require efforts from Bulgaria, and Spain unequivocally supports and hopes for their resolution soon: Schengen, entry into the Eurozone and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Among the goals that have not yet been achieved, but for which the Spanish Presidency continues to work, is reaching the necessary consensus that will allow Bulgaria and Romania to enter Schengen, something that Spain strongly supports.

Spain's commitment in this area was expressed by its ambitious initial inclusion on the agenda of the Council for and Home Affairs in October and is maintained with its realistic transfer to the Council for Justice and Home Affairs in December

The euro. Bulgaria has the support of Spain in the race to meet the technical criteria for adopting the euro. Undoubtedly, this will have significant benefits in areas such as tourism and investment.

OECD. Joining the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development demonstrates Bulgaria's serious ambition to raise its standards and practices and thus improve its position among Western partners.

In short, both at the bilateral level and within the European framework, Bulgaria can rely on Spain to achieve its goals in pursuit of common interests.

Before I finish, I would like to thank all the sponsoring companies whose support made the organization of this National Day possible...

At the end of his speech, H. E. Mr. Alejandro Polanco called for a minute of silence and surprised his guests. The Children's Radio Choir of the Bulgarian National Radio under the direction of Venetsiya Karamanova, took the stage and performed the European anthem, captivating everyone.

The photos are provided by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in the Republic of Bulgaria. Photographer: Evgeni Dimitrov