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Along with the situation concerning the migrant crisis, Bulgaria has strengthened its demand for a membership in the passport free travel zone of Schengen. The aim of Bulgaria to become part of the Schengen area has been blocked by several member states led by the Netherlands on the basis of lack of progress in the fight against the organized crime and the corruption. Now with the refuge crisis, the position of the Deputy PM in charge of European affairs Meglena Kuneva is that this crisis will be facilitated to a great extent by the joining of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area.

If the Romania and Bulgaria enter the Schengen zone, the information exchange between the member states will be easier and that will improve the chance of the countries to deal with the risks that are provoked by the refugee flow and the migration. The authorities in charge in Bulgaria think that now is the time for the Schengen zone to take the proper decisions, which will demonstrate unity between all European states and one unified position.

While that has been happening, Germany temporarily reinstated the border control at its border with Austria due to the influx of refugees. Two weeks ago Austria opened its doors to refugees, which provoked strong reactions of approval all over the world. Yet, the Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economy Sigmar Gabriel stated that the lack of European action was forcing Germany to limit the number of potential refugees.

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for European Policies Coordination and Institutional Affairs Meglena Kuneva stated that Bulgaria had been meeting the Schengen accession requirement for seven years now and it was time to become an equal member. Meglena Kuneva also gave comments on the forthcoming Bulgarian EU Presidency in 2018. According to her the first stage of the preparatory works was already finalized.

Several Ministers of Home Affairs and Justice gathered a week ago for an emergency meeting, during which they were to agree upon the revised proposal of the European Commission concerning the resettlement of 160 thousand refugees currently being in Greece, Italy and Hungary. In addition to the temporary solution, the European Council is also offering a permanent mandatory relocation mechanism based on the number of filed asylum applications and the number of illegal entries into a country in question, both for a period of six months.

Bulgaria, which is still not a member of the Schengen Zone but is a member of the European Union, is against the permanent mechanism. According to the Bulgarian authorities, the crisis development reveals that a simple relocation will not be enough as it will lead to secondary relocations and will increase the tension among the refugees. Besides, the member states cannot stand against the wishes of the refugees that have certain destination. Bulgaria is for a financially secured and well working integration policy, accepted by all member states of the European Union. Bulgaria is open to accept more refugees, but demands the preferences of the refugees to be taken into consideration.

Didier Reynders, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium, arrived to Bulgaria on an official 2-day visit in early September upon an invitation from Daniel Mitov, the Bulgarian Minster of Foreign Affairs. During the official talks, the two ministers discussed the two-way cooperation between Bulgaria and Belgium, as well as some major initiatives of the European Union.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium stated that Belgium will back Bulgaria in the country’s efforts to access Schengen. Yet, Didier Reynders stated that Bulgaria has certain issues to solve first that concern the Parliament, the anti-corruption legislation and some other reforms. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, Bulgaria should have progress in the fight against corruption, and its efforts to protect its borders and to guarantee security of the residents.

Currently, Belgium takes a second place in investments in Bulgaria. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Daniel Mitov. This is so, as the total volume of Belgium investments surpasses EUR 1 billion. Most of the investments are made in the light and in the heavy industry, etc. There is also a growth of tourists coming from Belgium with more than 30 %.

Several days ago the European Commission stated that Romania and Bulgaria meet the criteria to join the travel free zone of Schengen and that the two countries need political decision in order to get into the passport free zone. It is not up to the executive body of the European Commission to take that decision. The decision about the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen zone should be taken by the Council of the European Union.

The countries in the Schengen zone, including the two states that want to become members – Romania and Bulgaria, should react wise to the current crisis with the migrants and should give a unified answer. There should be a mandatory distribution of the refugees among all member states in the European Union. This will allow the Union to keep its Schengen area as it is – free of checks on the border. Until now the Schengen zone has been accepted as one of the success projects of the European Union.

Yet, the situation with the migrants is getting worse. Last Wednesday Denmark has temporarily suspended its rail connection with Germany due to the influx of migrants. The Danish police also clods a motorway set between the two countries after a large group of migrants started walking north of Sweden. All countries in the Schengen zone, including the want to be members Bulgaria and Romania should be careful with the migrant’s situation.

In the end of July the head of the Consular Relations Directorate at Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry Rakovski Lashev said on a press conference that the Bulgarian consulates have improved the readiness of Bulgaria to enter the passport free Schengen zone by meeting all requirements concerning the no visa area. In fact, the consulates in Bulgaria are not only maintaining but also improving the level of readiness of their employees and the equipment they have. Bulgaria has been named ready to join Schengen in 2011 by the European Parliament and the European Union Council.

At the same time, the Bulgarian President stated that Bulgaria wants to be a member of the passport-free travel area of Schengen by 2018 and that he hopes that the country will soon enter the first stage of accession at the Schengen zone – the opening of the air and the sea borders. Romania and Bulgaria are members of the European Union since 2007 and had hopes to join the Schengen area in March 2011. This however did not happen as some members of Schengen have expressed reluctance and concerns over the security and corruption in the two countries.