“There is no change in Bulgaria’s priorities for membership of the Schengen area, despite objections by the Netherlands and Austria,” said Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov during today’s parliamentary control.

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“For the Netherlands the crucial question is how well our judicial system is working. This country is expecting a report from the European Commission reflecting how the rules have changed and how they are applied when the law has been broken,” he explained. As regards Austria, it is seeking affirmation that as a border country, Bulgaria is doing everything possible to restrict the influx of migrants across our borders.

On her part, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel pointed out that we must not allow conditions to be added, such as have not been raised with any other country before its accession to the Schengen area.

“We must continue to clearly assert that Bulgaria has fulfilled the technical criteria,” she added and urged the MPs to make every effort to convince our partners.