President Duda attends Arraiolos group meeting

On September 14, the Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Bulgaria to attend the 12th meeting of presidents of member states of the Arraiolos group, the president's official website informed. President Duda along with the heads of nine countries (Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia) will have a two-day closed meeting in Sofia and Plovdiv. On Wednesday, the presidents discussed the basic challenges of European policy and ways to regain citizens' trust in the European project; and on Thursday, the officials debate the Western Balkans' integration, the EU and NATO, presidential aide Krzysztof Szczerski said. "For Poles, the biggest value of the entire idea of European integration was freedom as Europe was associated with removing barriers. Poles still want a Europe that offers freedom instead of directives, prohibitions and regulations which in fact limit opportunities instead of creating them," Szczerski quoted the Polish president as saying. According to President Duda's aide, EU leaders must find an answer to the EU crisis in order to "restore citizens' trust in Europe."