Madrid - Bulgarian, Romanian migrants to become active citizens
The president of the Madrid Municipality, Esperanza Aguirre, called
on the 180,000 Bulgarian and Romanian migrants, who live in the
area to take part in shaping Madrid's future as EU citizens.
Aguirre announced that a Hispanic-Bulgarian-Romanian Center will
soon open in Spain's capital during a celebration under the motto
"Romania and Bulgaria: new opportunities for building Europe."
When the two countries join the EU in 2007, the 30,000 Bulgarian
nationals and the 150,000 Romanians that live in the municipality
will be able to vote in local elections, Aguirre noted.
The president added that over the past years Bulgaria and Romania
have come a long way and proven they are worthy of joining the EU.
Both countries have managed to transform their political and economic
systems left over from communism to democratic market-oriented ones,
she said.
Aguirre also emphasized the Bulgarian and Romanian migrants' ability
to work hard and integrate easily, underlining that Madrid is thankful
for their human, social and cultural contributions to the community.
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