22.11.2024
The final decision on Bulgaria’s land accession to Schengen will be taken on 12 December by the Home Affairs Council. As of now, we are moving according to schedule. The meeting in Budapest was to demonstrate Bulgaria’s progress and the efforts made not just by Bulgaria and Romania, but also by all EU member states and by Türkiye. Türkiye helps us a lot to curb attempted illegal border crossing. The comment was made by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev when he visited Kulata border-crossing checkpoint, after the meeting of the interior ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Austria at the invitation of Hungary. The Prime Minister recalled that migrant pressure had gone down by 70% and pointed out that at the closing of the meeting in Budapest, Bulgaria was applauded for its enormous effort to protect the borders.
Further Dimitar Glavchev commented that Bulgaria was eligible for full accession to the Schengen area even when the last Borissov government was in office but it took the country some time to prove that to the two states, Austria and the Netherlands, that had their reasons to keep us out.
After Bulgaria’s official land accession to Schengen, the measures will not be discontinued but will strengthen further, explained the Prime Minister. Border control will continue to be maintained to a certain extent to prevent distortion of the flow of migrants. We will have joint patrols with Austria and Romania on the border between Bulgaria and Türkiye. “There will be 100 people along the Bulgaria-Türkiye border in this format – Bulgaria, Romania and Austria – to monitor movements. A total of 2400 officers are currently in charge of border security. We have reinforced the border police with 1200 officers and procured off-road vehicles,” Mr. Glavchev said.
On 7 October the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov, the Minister of Interior Atanas Ilkov, the Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov and the Director of the Border Police Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov conducted a land and aerial inspection of the ground border barriers between Bulgaria and Türkiye due to reported breakdowns in the fencing. “There is no such thing; we have verified that breaks, if any, are repaired almost immediately. We are to install an echolocation system that will strengthen security,” the Prime Minister said.
To a question about the parameters of Budget 2025, the Prime Minister reiterated that no tax rate increases are planned for citizens and businesses while the levels of excise duties for cigarettes and spirits are considered. “There will be no wage freeze; there will be increases. I cannot commit to numbers. After talks with all the parties, we will submit proposals with the breakdown,” Mr. Glavchev assured in response to allegations that a wage freeze is about to hit the security ministries (Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior) and the public service.
“The caretaker government is functioning, unlike some other institutions, and it is not our fault that the Parliament fails to elect its Speaker,” concluded Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev.
