Bulgaria Proactive in the Fight Against Terrorism, Ready for Schengen

The Bugarian Deputy PM of European Policies and Institutional Affairs has declared that Bulgaria is taking measures into being proactive and join the efforts of the European Union in its fight against terrorism. Bulgaria has already proposed the European Union to build a center against the arms traffic through the Western Balkans. According to Kuneva, there is a good location for that in Bulgaria and the state needs only administrative capacity to complete the task. The Bugarian Deputy PM declared that in front of the journalists in Brussels a month ago after meeting with Gilles de Kerchove, the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator.

Ms. Kuneva accounced that in May the European Commission will announce its new strategy that concerns the internal security. The Bugarian Deputy PM further stated that Bulgaria should actively participate in the preparation of that security and make its contribution in its capacity as an external border.

The Bugarian Deputy PM stressed that EC should not associate the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification (CVM) report with the desire of Bulgaria to join the Schengen Area. According to Ms. Kuneva, the question with the Bulgarian membership in the Schengen Area is a matter not only of Bulgaria’s security but also of the EU’s security.