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

Bulgaria's full Schengen membership will not open the floodgates to the EU, says Interior Minister

Interim minister of the Interior Atanas Ilkov
Photo: Hristo Kasabov/ BTA

A quadripartite meeting of the interior ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria and Romania in Budapest on 22 November made it clear that Austria would lift its veto and that Bulgaria and Romania would probably become full members of Schengen from the beginning of 2025 - not only by air and sea, but also by land. "Bulgaria's full Schengen membership will not open the floodgates to the EU," interim Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov assured a briefing after his return to Bulgaria. 

Border police chief Anton Zlatanov also said that border controls would not be relaxed. On the borders with Romania and Greece, Bulgaria will use the experience of Hungary and Austria in controlling internal borders. On the border with Greece, there will be compensatory measures in the border area. There will be patrols that will carry out risk-based checks so that traffic is not hindered. 

On the border with Turkey, 100 police officers from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria will be deployed to participate in the controls.

The final decision on Bulgaria's land entry into Schengen will be taken on December 12, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said yesterday.



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

Ex-PM Boyko Borisov: Delyan Peevski is unfairly sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act

GERB leader Boyko Borisov has told the media that he personally participated in talks with American representatives on the lifting of the Magnitsky sanctions against Bulgarian citizens. He said that he also spoke on the subject with David Cameron while..

published on 11/5/25 9:04 PM

Weather forecast: The clouds and rain continue, no rain in the Southwest

On Thursday minimum temperatures will range between 6 and 11° C., for Sofia around 8° C. During the day the weather will continue cloudy and rainy. The rain will be more significant in Eastern Bulgaria, and in the afternoon – in Central Bulgaria...

published on 11/5/25 6:35 PM
Deputy PM Tomislav Donchev

European Commission withholds payment under recovery and resilience plan over failure to implement anti-corruption reforms

The European Commission has decided to withhold EUR 215 million from the second payment under Bulgaria’s recovery and resilience plan, the EC told the Bulgarian National Radio. The country is to receive EUR 439 million. EU may cut money for..

published on 11/5/25 4:39 PM