Category: blog

During her EU Presidency in 2018, Bulgaria will host the international forum on science and innovations. This was agreed between the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovations Carlos Moedas and the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for European Policies Coordination and Institutional Affairs Meglena Kuneva and was announced by the press office of the Bulgarian Government.

According to the two politicians, we all live in a dynamic world with faster developing economies and the EU needs innovations more than ever before so that it can preserve its competitive power. The European Commissioner and the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister further discussed the various opportunities given by the European funds for the development of the science and innovations in the member states, which are included in the current programme period.

The two politicians also discussed the different opportunities provided by the Bulgaria’s membership in the Schengen area and the overall policy on inclusion and strengthening of the newly integrated member states, as the European Commissioner decided to uphold the support of the European Commission to these demands of Bulgaria.

In the end of 2015, the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for European Policies Coordination and Institutional Affairs Meglena Kuneva stated that the security of Bulgaria is something that all should be interested in. She stated that the Schengen area is not an abstract idea for the Bulgarians. The Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister was talking at the Fourth EU – Southeast Europe Summit that was organized by “The Economist” in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

According to Meglena Kuneva, in her role as Deputy Prime Minister, the country has strong support on the part of business. In case the Schengen Area is kept closed for Bulgaria, that will mean that Bulgaria would have to rely on its own skills to protect itself. Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for European Policies Coordination and Institutional Affairs Meglena Kuneva further stated that the security of Bulgaria is also European security.

Until very recently, Schengen Zone was perceived as the main engine for the European Integration. With the crisis that started in 2009, many important changes in the European Union legislation happened. Since the refugee crisis outbreak, there was one integration ship’s mast that was visible and it was associated with the euro area. The crisis with the refugees placed the existence of the European Union to a very serious test. And now as the threat is not over yet, a new integration ship is to be seen – that of Schengen. The reason for that lies in the terrorist attacks in Paris, dating 13th November, when 130 innocent people have lost their lives and many others were injured.

Because of the refugee crisis, the Schengen zone had a very central stage in the disintegration forecasts. And the terrorist attacks in Paris changed that situation to a significant level. The feelings of solidarity with France made way for the integration deepening in the sphere of counter-terrorism and security within Schengen.

During the emergency meeting of the ministers of justice and home affairs on 20th November, it became clear that the answer to the terrorist attacks should come from Europe as a whole and not from the individual nations. According to the European program for security, that should be based on a mutual trust. That however, is bad for the countries that are outside the Schengen area, as these countries are either not ready or there is no trust in them. Bulgaria is not a member of the Schengen zone, even if it protects the outer borders of the European Union and is technically ready to become a member for many years now.

The ministers gave a task to the European Council to prepare a proposal for changing the code on the Schengen zone borders. This means that there will be a legal ground on which to be made a systematic control of EU citizens and collection of biometric information. The ministers also requested for widening the mandate of the European border agency Frontex and for establishing regional information exchange platforms with the Western Balkans states. This means that there is no trust in Romania and Bulgaria, as the two states remain outside the Schengen zone. And even if the Schengen information system is working in Bulgaria, the system is not fully opened to the country.

Yet, as a conclusion from the meeting, it became clear that Schengen is not falling apart but is integrating.

In a recent speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Jean-Claude Juncker – the Commission President of the European Union warned the public that the Schengen zone is in a “partly comatose” stage. Juncker further stated that if that eventual collapse of the Schengen Area becomes a fact, this might have negative effect and bad political consequences for the European Union and the common currency – the Euro.

Juncker stated that if Schengen zone fails, than the single currency of the union will make no sense. The travel free Schengen area, of which Bulgaria is still not a member, is facing the impact and the consequences from the terrorist attacks in Paris and the migrant crises that is lasting for such a long period. The borderless Schengen area has been under serious pressure as it was revealed that several of the attackers moved freely throughout Europe, claiming to be refugees from Syria. According to the Commission President, the reintroduction of the checkpoints at the national borders between the member states of the European Union will have immediate and direct effect on the common European Union currency.

After the terrorist attacks in Paris, several temporary border controls have been reinforced in several EU member states in an attempt for the migration flow to be diverted. The Commission President of the European Union further stated that we all have to keep the spirit that stays behind the Schengen zone.

In a recent visit in Bulgaria the UK Prime Minister David Cameron has visited the country’s border with Turkey, which happens to be an external border of the European Union. David Cameron urged the other nations to follow the example of Bulgaria and said that the countries from the European Union are facing a flow of migrants and should make efforts to control their borders.

According to Cameron, it is very important for Europe to have strong external borders by sea, air and land like the one Bulgaria has with Turkey. In 2015 around 27 000 migrants came through the 150 mile border between Turkey and Bulgaria, which is still not part of the travel free and border free Schengen but acts as an external border of the European Union.

The countries from the European Union are facing an increasing influx of migrants and they should learn from the Bulgarian efforts to keep the external controls, said the UK Prime Minister David Cameron at the border with Turkey. The states of the European Union have agreed to take emergency action in order to shore up the external borders of the union with stricter control.