Bulgaria May Lose EU Presidency If It Stirs Divisions, President Warns

Outgoing Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has argued Bulgaria may be stripped of its Council of the European Union presidency if it works toward division within the EU.

In his farewell press conference alongside Vice President Margarita Popova, he has said such a move is one of the "big risks" facing the country in the months to come, a step that would be "a shame" on Bulgaria.

He has included potential problems with election results if an interim administration fails to organize fair elections, but also a surge in migratory pressure and a course to turning Bulgaria into a "periphery" of the EU.

Plevneliev has also vowed to "remain active, but non-partisan. I will watch out so that Bulgaria is not deviated from the right way. I am ready to stand at the barricade if EU membership is endangered."

"I will stay in Bulgaria," he has announced in a response to a journalist's question, in an apparent reference to reports he may be eyeing the office of EU Commissioner after leaving the Presidency.

He has expressed confidence that the President institution remains a "source of stability."

„I worked with five governments

and three Parliaments. The situation was exceptionally critical between 2013 and 2016. I was the first President to appoint two caretaker governments," he has recalled.

"During part of my term, the full power was in my hands," he has also pointed out. However, cooperation with political parties and the civil society has helped him in the moments of political and parliamentary crises - as many as three during his tenure - he has said.

"[I was] the first President to hold civic debates. In all ministries there are nowadays Civic Councils... To me...