Bulgarian parliament speaker Mihail Mikov on Friday said Bulgarian lawmakers should play a more important role in shaping the country's positions within the European Union (EU). "The Parliament should participate much more significantly in the shaping of the country's positions in the EU," Mikov said in his last press conference of the year. He said the Parliament should be informed early enough about the formation of Bulgaria's positions in EU decision-making, and that the administrative capacity of the National Assembly should be improved. He also expressed hope that "next year we will go out from the severe confrontation," referring to the ongoing protests demanding early elections. The protests began in mid-June, a month after the election of this parliament and two weeks after the inauguration of the government led by Plamen Oresharski.