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The Bulgarian Border Police received 60 more all-terrain vehicles from the EU

by AI | 03.Oct 2024 | Europe in brief AI

Sofia reports a 70% decrease in migration pressure this year.

New patrol cars for the General Directorate "Border Police" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria. Photo: Hristo Kasabov, BTA

SOFIA – The Bulgarian border police announced that it received 60 high-passability vehicles under a European Union (EU) project.

For the fourth time, we are receiving more of the much-needed equipment to successfully carry out our mission of protecting Bulgarian and European borders, noted the director of the General Directorate “Border Police” Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov. Last year, we faced a record migrant pressure, but we experienced serious difficulties due to a lack of equipment, he added. Zlatanov summarized that this year, the border service has received a total of 220 high-passability patrol vehicles.

He reported that the migratory pressure towards Bulgaria has dropped by 70 percent.

At a working meeting with ambassadors from EU countries, the interim Minister of Internal Affairs Atanas Ilkov presented some of the measures Bulgaria is taking to protect the borders. Among them, he highlighted increasing “Border Police” capacity, updating equipment, support from “Frontex,” and good cooperation with neighboring countries.

Since Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area by air and sea on March 31 of this year, no change has been observed in the security environment, the minister told diplomats. 

The EU Council will discuss on October 10 in Luxembourg the current state of the application of Schengen legislation by Bulgaria and Romania. Hungary, as the EU Council’s presidency until the end of the year, had previously expressed expectations for a decision on the removal of checks at the land Schengen borders of both countries in the coming months.

The Bulgarian authorities expect the decision to be made by the end of the year, said in September the Head of the EC Representation in Bulgaria Yordanka Chobanova. Similar expectations were expressed in June by the EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ilva Johansson.

Austria was the only country in the EU that did not fully support the lifting of checks at the Bulgarian and Romanian Schengen borders last year. (02.10.2024)