The third session of the 44^th Bulgarian National Assembly begins on the day of the official opening of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The ruling GERB party announced that its main legislative initiatives will aim at strengthening public order and security, improving education, labor market, healthcare and fighting corruption. The foreign-policy priorities of GERB party will be linked with Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen Area and the Eurozone and the abolishment of the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification. In a declaration about its priorities during the new political season the Bulgarian Socialist Party announced that it would provide constructive support during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, but it will not keep silence and on January 17 will table in Parliament a request for no-confidence vote against the current government over corruption.