Bulgaria Objects to EU Commissioner Stefan Fuele's Remark

Bulgaria has answered back to comments EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele made in a recent interview.

Fuele told EurActiv the accession of Bulgaria and Romania into the EU put the bloc's credibility into question.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ivaylo Kashkanov announced in a message to the media that Bulgaria's Permanent Representative in the EU Dimitar Tzantchev held a conversation with Commissioner Fuele's Chief of Cabinet, Simon Mordue, over claims made in the interview published earlier this week, which Sofia considers to be insulting and to "cast a shadow" over Bulgaria and Romania's accession.

Mordue assured Tzantchev that Fuele had been "misunderstood" by interviewers and argued the Commissioner was among the staunchest supporters of the end of the the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism that Brussels applies to Bulgaria and Romania, the Foreign Ministry explains.

It added it considered the title chosen by Euractiv, namely Fuele: Bulgaria and Romania's accession questioned the credibility of EU enlargement, to be "inappropriate".

EurActiv, however, maintains the interview, which was "originally conducted in Czech, was translated into English and submitted to review by Fuele's cabinet, which approved it".