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EC: There is significant progress in the fight of the Bulgarian authorities against illegal migration

by AI | 11.Jul 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The coordinator of the EC for Schengen, Olivier Onidi, visited Sofia

Photo: Arne Immanuel Bensch, DPA

SOFIA – The Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs and Schengen Coordinator at the European Commission (EC) Olivier Onidi arrived on a two-day visit to Sofia, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior announced.
He discussed Bulgaria’s preparation for the implementation of the new European migration legislation. Representatives of the Ministry of Interior and the Refugee Agency participated in the talks from the Bulgarian side.

All partners from the European Union see significant progress in border management, returns, and the fight against smuggling, Onidi said.

The Interim Minister of Internal Affairs Kalin Stoyanov announced that he discussed with the guest issues related to Schengen.

The removal of Bulgaria’s and Romania’s land Schengen borders was identified as one of the priorities of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on July 1.

Interim Minister of Economy and Industry Petko Nikolov announced that Sofia calculated direct losses from the delay in full Schengen membership at over 400 million euros.

Hungary stated earlier this month that it expected “some solution” on this issue by the end of the year. In December, when the EU decided to admit Bulgaria and Romania into Schengen, Austria was the only one who did not support the complete removal of border checks. Parliamentary elections are due in Austria at the end of September, after which a new discussion on the land borders of Bulgaria and Romania is expected. (11.07.2024)