Bulgaria's Evropa TV Presents Van Rompuy with Pro-European Policy Award

Former European Council President Herman Van Rompuy is this year's holder of the annual award for pro-European policy of Bulgarian TV station Evropa (Europe).

The first president of the European Council arrived in Bulgaria specially for the award ceremony, which took place in the Balkan hotel in downtown Sofia on Tuesday. Rompuy's visit to Bulgaria is on the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of Evropa TV.

The ceremony was attended by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, President Rosen Plevneliev, mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova, Ombudsman Maya Manolova, the chairperson of the parliamentary internal security and public order committee, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, former president Petar Stoyanov, as well many representatives of the country's political and cultural elite.

Plevneliev, who was last year's holder of the title, handed the award personally to Van Rompuy.

In his speech, the Bulgarian president recognised Rompuy as a great European, who took the right visionary decisions for the future of the EU at a time when the EU was facing deep crises.

According to Plevneliv, Rompuy helped Europe to overcome great challenges at difficult moment.

Upon receiving the award, the former European Council president said that the title is in recognition of his European convictions and actions in the 2010-2014 period.

He identified these years as turbulent period, but warned that the storm in Europe is not over yet.

He added that in the time of multiple crises, the EU was in need of strong faith in the European idea as offering the only opportunities to maintain and consolidate peace, prosperity and democracy.

Rompuy was firm that there is no place for authoritarian regimes in Europe. Instead, political democracy, rule of...