Bulgaria expects to become full member of Schengen zone by the end of 2024
Newswire
Sofia: Bulgaria hopes its full membership to the Schengen Zone will be finalized by the end of this year.
Yordanka Chobanova, who heads the European Commission’s representation in Bulgaria said that a proposal to abolish land border controls for Bulgaria and Romania will be made on October 10.
Financial losses for Bulgaria remaining outside Schengen, in terms of land borders, have reached €400 million.
Bulgaria believes that a decision regarding its full membership to the Schengen Area will be taken by the end of this year.
Authorities in Sofia expressed their hope that the accession of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen Zone, in terms of land borders, will soon be finalised, Schengen.News reports.
On 10 October, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, together with Hungary’s interior minister, are to propose to the Council of the European Union that checks at land borders be abolished.
Chobanova told Euractiv that expectations in Bulgaria are that the European Commission will strongly support Schengen.
Remaining outside Schengen, in terms of land borders, caused financial losses to Bulgaria that reached €400 million, based on the figures from the Institute of Economic Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, which were presented by caretaker Economy Minister Petko Nikolov, back in July.
Bulgaria and Romania became members of the Schengen Zone on March 31, 2024, lifting controls for sea and air travel. However, both countries’ partial accession to Schengen means that land border controls continue to remain effective.
In July this year, the Deputy Minister of the Interior of Hungary, Bence Retvari, highlighted the importance of including Bulgaria and Romania in the borderless area of Schengen in terms of land borders by the end of 2024.
Retvari said that unnecessary delays for the finalisation of this process should be avoided in order to reach a resolution.
Migrants arriving at the EU’s southern borders do not seek to obey the law, often attacking border guards. They do not respect the EU; they do not cooperate with the authorities.
At present, Hungary is holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on July 1, 2024, and will last until the end of this year.
In June, the Hungarian Ambassador to the EU, Balint Odor, said the abolishment of land borders for both Bulgaria and Romania, would be among the top priorities of Hungary. Odor also added that reducing the number of irregular migrants who attempt to reach these two countries in an irregular way, will also be among the key priorities of Hungary.
