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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 .



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