In Brussels, President Rumen Radev, who is taking part in a two-day European Council meeting, discussed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel the Bulgarian veto on North Macedonia's EU membership. According to him, Merkel has called for Bulgaria to open the door to European integration this year, BTA has reported.

During the debate on migration, President Radev raised the issue of operational plans to protect the EU's external borders, especially land borders. He said the EU should have an action plan in case of sharp migration pressure rise.

The Bulgarian President also commented on the collapse of NATO-Russia relations, recommending that the dialogue with Russia should continue. "If we look at the situation in the Balkans and on a global scale, we will see that we cannot continue without dialogue," the Bulgarian head of state said.

President Radev's proposal to eliminate or at least reduce the price of carbon quotas in order to soften the impact of rising energy prices has been rejected, BNR correspondent Angelina Piskova reported from Brussels.