Deeper cooperation between Bulgarian and German parliaments was of mutual interest, German Bundestag president Norbert Lammert said after meeting his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Pirinski in Bulgaria.

Such co-operation was even more important after Bulgaria’s EU accession, Lammert said as quoted by Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

Bulgaria and Germany should take part in the European legislative processes. EU legislation should not be left to turn into simply an executive body, Lammert said.

Pirinski said that current reform and the challenges before the EU, the regional matters and the bipartite political, economic and cultural relations between Bulgaria and Germany were among the topics discussed with Lammert.

According to Pirinski, the national parliaments needed to strengthen their positions as power bodies, which guarantee the constitutional process. The governments should take part responsibly and transparently in EU governmental bodies, he said.

Lammert said that unnecessary confrontation between national parliaments and the European Parliament (EP) should be avoided. The most important addressees of the national parliaments should be their cabinets, not the EP.

During his official visit, Lammer is to meet President Georgi Purvanov and Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev.