Sofia, 13 December 2021 (MIA) – If Parliament elects the new Bulgaria government today, Kiril Petkov, the PM-designate, will replace President Rumen Radev to represent Bulgaria at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, reports Bulgarian daily 24 Chasa. Bulgaria usually at the European Council is represented by the prime minister, but an exception is made the President to attend the Brussels meeting when there is caretaker government. So far, the plan was Rumen Radev to fly to Brussels for the meeting, the last European Council this year. There was even speculation in Bulgaria that the inauguration of the new government could be postponed allowing the President in Brussels to defend his country’s veto to the opening of EU negotiations of North Macedonia, reports the newspaper. According to 24 Chasa, Kiril Petkov, the leader of winning anti-craft party, wants to travel to Brussels for the summit to negotiate with the EU leaders. He would have his debut at the European Council, alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after being elected last week by the Bundestag. This past Saturday, Petkov announced, while presenting the composition of his government, that Bulgaria’s position regarding North Macedonia remains unchanged, but noted that the position should be upgraded so as to be beneficial for the two countries, writes 24 Chasa. Petkov in Brussels, it adds, will have to defend Bulgaria’s framework position on North Macedonia, backed by the caretaker government after reaffirming last week that it approves Albania to open negotiations without North Macedonia being in the same package.