The Irish Minister of Community, Rural Areas and the Irish Language, Mr. Eamon O’Cuiv will make an official visit to Bulgaria from 3 to 5 May 2004 by invitation of Minister Valentin Cerovski

The Irish Minister of Community, Rural Areas and the Irish Language, Mr. Eamon O’Cuiv will make an official visit to Bulgaria from 3 to 5 May 2004 by invitation of the Regional Development and Public Works Minister Valentin Cerovski. The visit is in return for the visit of Minister Cerovski in Ireland at the end of November last year. Minister Cerovski and Minister O’Cuiv and the representatives of the two delegations will discuss the negotiations of Bulgaria with respect to Chapter 21 Regional Policy, the new Regional Development Act and the experience of Ireland in carrying out state policy in underdeveloped regions or in regions which need special support policy, decentralization process and the practice of Ireland in terms of transferring responsibilities from central to local authorities, sustainable territorial development and other topics. On 3 May 2004, Monday, Minister Eamon O’Cuiv will attend the session of the European Integration Council which will be held in Vratsa. During his stay in Bulgaria the Irish Minister will also have meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister Plamen Panayotov, the European Affairs Minister Meglena Kuneva, he will visit Plovdiv and Smolyan where he will meet with the district governors and will visit small and medium enterprises, will meet with the principal officers of the Association of the Rhodope Municipalities, etc. At the end of the visit Minister Valentin Cerovski and Minister Eamon O’Cuiv will hold a press conference which will take place on 5 May 2004, Wednesday, at 12 o’clock, at the MRDPW, conference room, 1st floor. PR & International Relations Directorate