Yearly Archives: 2015

The Prime Minister of Bulgaria is convinced that both the rightists and the leftists politicians in the country are doing their best for the accession of Bulgaria in the Schengen zone. According to the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, the country is very close to getting into the passport-free travel zone.

During his meeting with the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in March, the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov gave a press conference, where he confirmed that he has explained to his colleague all the efforts made and further undertook the engagement to provide help in the realization of the gas projects.

The Prime Minister Boyko Borisov stated that Bulgaria has highly qualified labour force. He also stated that thanks to some great efforts from all parties there is a good political stability in Bulgaria.

Upon visiting Sofia in the early spring, the German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated that Germany is open to talks on allowing Romania and Bulgaria to enter the passport-free travel zone of Schengen. The foreign minister further stated that the two countries have been members of the European Union since 2007 and have sought for a positive Schengen status ever since 2011. Until now that has gone with no success.

In one of his last visits to Romania, the president of Bulgaria Mr. Rosen Plevneliev also commented on the important control that Bulgaria offers as part of the external border of the European Union. The efforts of the country were stated to be very good, better than the efforts of many other European Union countries that are already members of the Schengen zone.

According to the President Rosen Plevneliev, Romania being with the new president Klaus Iohannis has made a serious progress in her fight against the corruption. He also said that Bulgaria has to catch up in that aspect. The founding nations of the European Union such as France and the Netherlands have urged Romania and Bulgaria to be stricter about tackling the corruption and securing their borders, before they join the Schengen zone.

In the beginning of March Bulgaria launched a national campaign in support of its accession in Schengen. According the Deputy Prime Minister for European Policies Coordination and Institutional Affairs Meglena Kuneva, the accession of the country in the travel free Schengen zone should become a national task. Bulgarians should be aware that Schengen is a synonym of security, economy and prestige.

The joint efforts of the Deputy PM, the Justice Minister and the Culture Minister resulted in the campaign “Bulgaria in Schengen. It’s Time!” The campaign was opened at the Archeology Museum in Sofia. In the video it is stated that the double standard concerning Bulgaria’s accession in the Schengen area is unacceptable.

The video comes in several language versions and presents Bulgarians from all spheres of life, smiling, with the national flag in the background. Upon launching the national campaign, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that the accession of Bulgaria into the Schengen zone will become a fact when the public opinion on that matter is united.

Last month it became clear that Germany keeps its cautious position over the Schengen Bid of Bulgaria and Romania. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the president of Romania met in Berlin to discuss the accession of Romania into the Schengen zone. Mekrel said that Romania is making progress towards entering the Schengen Zone, yet there is still no clearance when the accession in Schengen will happen.

Currently both Romania and Bulgaria are on hold as far as Schengen zone is concerned. Both countries are part of the European Union since 2007. The main reasons for postponing the accession include corruption, lack of political willingness, organized crime, lack of transparency on the different policies.

According to the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Bulgaria needs to be given a political signal, as well as a little confidence that the country is on the right path of Schengen accession. Minister Daniel Mitov further said that coordination is required between Bulgaria, Romania and Greece for all European Union regional projects. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister believes that Bulgaria will join the Schengen Area as that is the base for fighting against the threats and the terrorism. The politician said once again that Bulgaria has already implemented all technical measures that are needed for the Schengen membership and has done almost no mistakes as an external border of the European Union.

In a meeting with journalists, the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Daniel Mitov said that Bulgaria and Romania have agreed to coordinate their positions as far as an accession in the Schengen area is concerned. By having unified position, the two countries are expected to be accepted more seriously and their achievements in meeting the technical criteria are expected to be accepted.

Several weeks ago Minister Mitov met with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu, during a meeting between the presidents of Romania and Bulgaria. The politicians discussed the fact that the two countries are already acting as member states of the Schengen zone. Based on that Romania and Bulgaria will insist on clarification over the accession of the two countries in the border-free area of Schengen. Both countries do meet all the technical requirements, they have modern equipment and good control on the borders.