EESC President Georges Dassis underlines the importance of cohesion at a meeting with the Economic and Social Council in Sofia

The EESC President Georges Dassis visited the Bulgarian Economic and Social Council (ESC) in Sofia. He met with the members of the Plenary Session of the ESC and talked to them about the priorities of Europe and the upcoming Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The main emphasis of Bulgaria's EU Presidency is and should be on economic and social cohesion. The EESC President stressed that Bulgaria would have the full support of the EESC for its actions towards economic and social cohesion.

The EESC President also touched upon the so-called brain drain, a process that affects the least developed countries within the EU, which also have the greatest need to keep their smart and skilled people to speed up their development.  According to President Dassis, the brain drain affects not only individual European countries, but Europe as a whole. The EU needs to help facilitate sufficient funds for the major European universities in all countries to retain the best and most prepared people to carry out their projects in their home countries.

The EESC President assessed the work of the Bulgarian Economic and Social Council as one of the most effective and convincing among the European Economic and Social Councils. He answered questions from ESC members about Brexit and its implications. He also emphasised the need for more rapid adoption of the draft European Pillar of Social Rights and noted the role of the Bulgarian Economic and Social Council in the organised civic discussion on this topic in June this year, as well as the proposals made by the Bulgarian ESC.

ESC President Prof. Lalko Dulevski thanked President Dassis for his visit and stressed that European issues have been one of the main focus points in the ESC's activities. He gave examples of adopted and future documents and consultations carried out by the ESC concerning the White Paper on the Future of Europe, the European Energy Project, the European Social Rights Pillar, the Future of Labour, Bulgaria's Eurozone Membership, and CETA.