Category: Business Support

More than 60 % of the Bulgarian citizens approve the membership of their country in the European Union. Even a greater number are the Bulgarians who appreciate their country applying for the passport free travel zone and hope the Schengen accession of Bulgaria will happen any time soon. The data was taken from a survey that was organized by the Open Society Institute – Sofia in the last days of June 2014. The people who took part in the survey said that the biggest advantage that came out of the European Union membership of Bulgaria are in increased number of job opportunities, that were followed by the option for free travelling and the access to the European Union funds.

Bulgarians that took part in the survey expressed positive views concerning the access of Bulgaria in Schengen. At the same time 40 % of the people that took part in the poll said that they are against the participation of Bulgaria in various sanctions against other countries. In the same survey 10 % of the people asked required harsher sanctions from the European Union towards Russia for its role in the Ukraine crises. In the same survey it became clear that 28 % people agreed that the gas pipeline South Stream has to be built only after approval from the European Commission, while 22 % said that the pipeline should be built regardless of the EC approval.

The Informational System of Schengen has been introduced and operational since 1995. Ever since the specialists started working on the new system based on modern technology and with better functionalities. The new system that was set has undergone many special tests by all member states. When the internal border controls were lifted, other approaches were considered including the formation of a brand new and very modern System of Schengen or SIS II, which was adopted by the Council at the end of 2008.

Bulgaria, aiming to become a member of the Schengen passport free travel zone, has joined and uses the Schengen Information System since November 2010. Ever since that, the local authorities have the right and could enter and update the information, as well as take the necessary actions to register all activities associated with signals coming from other countries in the Schengen zone. Once Bulgaria becomes a full member of the Schengen agreement, it will be able to register in the system signals that concern third parties too.

The government of Bulgaria took a decision, according to which by the date Bulgaria does become a member of the Schengen area with full rights, the country will recognize and accept as equal to the national visas all permits and visas for stay that are issued by Croatia, Romania and Cyprus. This will be done for the purposes of the short-term stays and transit trips. The information was announced by the Bulgarian government press service. Bulgaria hopes to become a member of the Schengen agreement. The country is supported by the Italian Ambassador, as the country has now gained the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months in the period July – December 2014.

According to the accepted decision of the Bulgarian government, people who have the necessary documents will be welcome to Bulgaria and stay for a period of up to 90 days with no need of Bulgarian visa for a short stay. Bulgaria expects to attract the attention of the foreign travelers and business people who have Schengen visas and special permits of stay that are issued by the member states of the European Union.

Bulgaria was recently supported by the Italian Ambassador in the country – Mr. Marco Conticelli. The Ambassador declared his support concerning Bulgaria’s bid to enter the Schengen zone. He expressed his hopes for this entry to happen during the period of the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Italy will be in charge of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months in the period July – December 2014.

In a recent interview given for the Bulgarian National Radio, the Ambassador of Italy in Bulgaria stated that both Romania and Bulgaria are ready to join the Schengen Area. The Ambassador declared that Italy will support the bid of Bulgaria to enter the Schengen zone along with the bid of Romania. He confirmed that the bid to enter the Schengen zone of Bulgaria and Romania will be in the agenda during the meeting and the debates of the foreign ministers of the EU countries. If they achieve a consensus decision, the two Romania and Bulgaria will enter the Schengen travel free zone. Yet, there are many Schengen member countries that oppose the abolition of the internal border control as Bulgaria has shown poor results concerning the spheres of home affairs and justice.

Bulgaria is prepared to become a member of the travel free territory of the Schengen agreement as the country has taken all the necessary measures including the application and usage of the Schengen Information System. Thank to this mechanism, the judicial authorities and the national border control of the different countries can collect information on the objects and persons.

Bulgaria hopes to become a member state of the Schengen zone and with that to supply the necessary information to the system through the national networks that are connected to the central system. It is important to mention that the Schengen area is within the institutional and the legal framework of the European Union. Due to that it comes under the judicial and the parliamentary scrutiny, encouraging the free movement of people as well as the parliamentary control.

Several countries are already members of the travel free Schengen agreement zone, however they have the option to choose whether or not to apply the new measures that are taken under the European Commission Treaty that works within the framework of the European Union. This is valid even for the countries that made a development of the Schengen zone in first place. For example, Denmark is bound with certain measures that it has to follow under the common visa policy.

The United Kingdom and Ireland can take part in all or in some of the Schengen agreements according to the protocol from the Treaty of Amsterdam. This can happen if the member states of Schengen and the government representative of the country vote in favor within the Council. In general, the United Kingdom tries to cooperate in some aspects of Schengen, which include the judicial cooperation and the police cooperation, as well as the application of the SIS system. In year 2000 Ireland also asked to take part in some aspects of Schengen that were covered by the request of the United Kingdom. The request of Ireland was approved in 2002. When Bulgaria becomes part of the Schengen agreement, it’s believed that the country will accept all agreements concerning Schengen as a full member.

The future MEPs of Bulgaria had a recent meeting with the president and discussed several important topics that concern both sides. On 9th June, the representatives of Bulgaria at the European Parliament attended a meeting with the president of Bulgaria Mr. Rosen Plevneliev in order to discuss their priorities concerning the European Parliament. The representatives of the European Parliament and the President could find dozen of topics to discuss including the bid of Bulgaria into the Schengen area and the chances of the country to be accepted as part of the travel free Schengen zone.

Iliyana Yotova, who has become a MEP as a member of the Coalition for Bulgaria commented that on the meeting were discussed the foreign policy of the country, the refugees, and the entire situation, etc. When asked about the nomination of a Bulgarian European Commissioner, Ms. Yotova replied with the words of the President, namely that the leading thing in this matter is for the political formations to reach an agreement on the principles and then based on these, the European Commissioner would be nominated in order to avoid a precedent.

Recently became clear that the Foreign Minister of Austria Mr. Sebastian Kurz is supporting the progress that Bulgaria has made for being accepted in the Schengen travel free area. Mr. Kurz gave his support for the entry of Bulgaria in the Schengen area during a meeting that he had with his Bulgarian counterpart Mr. Kristian Vigenin, which was held in the Austrian capital Vienna. The two ministers of Austria and Bulgaria further discussed the Southern Stream gas pipeline and agreed that it plays a great role in the energy security of Europe.

During the official meeting, the Foreign Minister of Austria Mr. Sebastian Kurz and the Foreign Minister of Bulgaria Mr. Kristian Vigenin also discussed the situation with the refugees and the immigrants. At that point Mr. Vigenin expressed his opinion that the European Union needs a border policy that is not only focused on the integration and the border security, but is also targeted at the direct support of the countries in the conflict. Both Kurz and Vigenin shared their idea that the European Union has to be enlarged into the countries from the Western Balkans and expressed their opinion how important the good neighborly relations are.

The Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Mr. Kristian Vigenin informed the citizens of Bulgaria that Italy supports the Schengen bid of Bulgaria. Few days ago on a meeting with his Italian counterpart Federica Mogherini, Mr. Vigenin announced that Bulgaria and Italy will work together on the implementation of the project for the gas pipeline of Southern Stream. According to a quote on the Bulgarian National Radio, the Foreign Minister made it clear that Bulgaria has every reason to believe that Bulgaria’s accession into the Schengen area could become a fact in the autumn of 2014.

Mr. Kristian Vigenin further announced that the Foreign Minister of Italy had vowed his country to convince other member states why the approval of the Schengen accession of Bulgaria is important during the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Italian Presidency will take place from July until December 2014. The Foreign Minister of Italy had put an emphasis on the fact that Italy believes Bulgaria to be ready to join the Schengen travel free zone and that there is no reason for postponement any more. The two foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Italy had agreed on joining their efforts in the implementation of the gas pipeline Southern Steam and defending it from political attacks.

In year 1985 several countries in Europe took a decision and formed a territory with no internal borders, naming it the Schengen area. The original member states of the Schengen area were five – Germany and France, Luxembourg and Belgium, as well as the Netherlands. Through the years the Schengen area gradually and slowly expanded to include now as a member state almost every country in the European Union. The first countries that joined the Schengen area after it was formed include Italy in 1990, Portugal and Spain in 1991, Greece in 1992, Austria in 1995, Finland, Denmark and Sweden in 1996. The great expansion of the Schengen zone followed in 2007 when the border free zone was joined by the Czech Republic and Estonia, by Lithuania and Latvia, by Malta and Hungary, by Slovenia, Slovakia and Poland.

In 2008 the associated country of Switzerland also entered the Schengen zone. The countries of Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus are perceived as not yet fully fledged members of the Schengen area. At the current moment these countries have border controls between them and the Schengen zone and they will stay for now. When the European Union Council decides that these countries have met the conditions required, the internal border controls will be abolished.