Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

It is unprofitable for Europe to have Bulgaria and Romania outside Schengen: Finance Minsiter

Photo: Screenshot /Die Welt

Russian propaganda in Bulgaria suggests that Bulgarians are second-class EU citizens. With our entry into Schengen, this will change, says Bulgarian Finance Minister Assen Vassilev in an interview with Die Welt.

According to Vassilev, it is economically unprofitable for Central and Western Europe for Bulgaria and Romania to be outside the zone without border control. 

"Every day, 4,000 trucks cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border to Western Europe, but stay for days at the border with Romania. This makes the transported goods more expensive," Vassilev explains. 

The minister also told Die Welt that the additional fee of 20% imposed on the Russian gas transit through Bulgaria will reduce the profit of Gazprom and make the supply more expensive, which in turn makes the import of Russian gas unprofitable for countries such as Austria and Hungary .



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria expresses support for Lithuania following Russian incursion

"Bulgaria expresses strong solidarity with Lithuania following Russia's repeated violations of European airspace, a clear example of deliberate breaches of international law and the territorial integrity of our allies and partners," the Bulgarian..

published on 10/24/25 5:32 PM
Sofia University

Over 63% of Ukrainian students in Bulgaria are ethnic Bulgarians

In the 2024/2025 academic year, 2,104 students from Ukraine were studying at Bulgarian universities , according to the Ministry of Education. Of these, 1,750 were pursuing bachelor’s degrees, 304 were in master’s programmes, and 50 were enrolled in..

published on 10/24/25 5:22 PM
Dan Jørgensen

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen to visit Bulgaria

European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen will visit Bulgaria on 28 October, just days after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft over Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine, BNR correspondent..

published on 10/24/25 5:08 PM