site.btaBulgarian PM Meets EU Migration Commissioner, Border Security and Illegal Migration Are on Agenda

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov met here Monday the visiting EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner. Border security and handling illegal migration, as well as the war in Ukraine and the Middle East tensions were on the agenda of the talks, according to a government press release.

Zhelyazkov is quoted as saying that Bulgaria “contributes significantly to the security of the Schengen area.” “Protecting the EU’s external borders and preventing illegal migration remain top priorities for our country,” he also said.

The Prime Minister highlighted the support provided by the European Commission to Bulgaria, exceeding EUR 300 million over the past three years. The funding has been used for integrated border surveillance, off-road vehicles, and drones. Zhelyazkov and Brunner agreed that this is an important investment not only for Bulgaria but for the security of the European Union as a whole. Bulgaria also allocates significant national technical, financial, and human resources to external border protection, including by increasing the capacity of the Border Police, the Prime Minster added.

Zhelyazkov pointed out the excellent cooperation with Frontex and the importance of working closely with neighboring EU member states Romania and Greece, as well as intensive cooperation with the Turkish authorities at political, strategic, and operational levels. He said that since September 2023, there has been a consistent trend of decreasing migration pressure along the land border with Turkey. Strengthening the EU’s external borders should be a shared priority for all member states, not only for those on the front line, Zhelyazkov said.

The Prime Minister also emphasized that following Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen and the lifting of internal border controls, there has been no change in the overall security environment. He sees no need to extend the temporary reintroduction of border controls on the Bulgarian-Romanian border beyond July 1 this year.

A number of national and bilateral measures will be implemented in the neighboring border regions to compensate for the removal of internal checks. Similar compensatory measures have already been in place along the internal land border with Greece since the beginning of the year.

During their meeting, Zhelyazkov and Brunner also discussed the latest developments related to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East, both of which pose serious security challenges for the European Union.