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

Bulgaria wants Sts. Cyricus and Julitta Island to become part of UNESCO heritage

If Bulgaria manages to implement the prepared project for Sts. Cyricus and Julitta Island , it could become part of the UNESCO cultural and historical heritage. This was announced by Vice President Iliana Iotova at a meeting in..

published on 4/2/25 1:50 PM

Rosen Zhelyazkov: We are resilient, so as not to be misled by the motives of the debates

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov described the vote of no confidence in the government over its foreign policy, debates on which are currently being held in the National Assembly, as an attempt to sow discord between the parties in..

published on 4/2/25 1:32 PM
Georg Georgiev

MPs discuss vote of no confidence in Rosen Zhelyazkov’s cabinet

“When we deal with diplomacy, we must deal with facts and the official truth,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev said during the debates in the National Assembly on the vote of no confidence in the government due to failure..

published on 4/2/25 11:21 AM