site.btaRomania and Bulgaria Step Up Joint Action Against Migrant Smugglers

Joint actions by Romania and Bulgaria led to the dismantling of migrant-smuggling groups operating in this part of Europe, Romanian Interior Ministry officials said after a video-conference meeting on Thursday.

The talks brought together a Romanian Interior Ministry delegation led by Secretary of State for Public Order and Safety Bogdan Despescu and Ministry of Interior Secretary General Miroslav Rashkov.

“The rapid exchange of information and coordinated investigations in recent months have significantly contributed to tackling and dismantling groups involved in migrant smuggling and other forms of cross-border crime,” the Romanian Interior Ministry said in a press release sent on Thursday to Agerpres.

The meeting between representatives of the two ministries formed part of an established high-level professional dialogue aimed at strengthening strategic and operational bilateral cooperation, Agerpres reported.

One year after the two countries fully joined the Schengen area, cooperation continues with very good results. On both sides of the shared border, a number of compensatory measures have been implemented to hinder and reduce illegal migration flows and to prevent other forms of crime, the Romanian Interior Ministry said.

Joint patrol missions at Bulgarian tourist resorts are also being conducted this year, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs currently deploying four police officers to help ensure the safety of Romanian tourists at Bulgarian ski resorts.

This follows joint patrols conducted last year during the Easter holidays, the May 1 mini-break, and the summer season in Bulgaria.

“Romanian border police officers continue to participate in joint patrols to secure the Bulgarian-Turkish border. Joint traffic police teams will also remain active this year in border areas, particularly on weekends and public holidays, to facilitate traffic flow and ensure road safety,” the Romanian Ministry of Interior said.

The delegations also exchanged views on the outcomes of last year’s Schengen evaluations of Bulgaria and Romania.

The Romanian Interior Ministry said the excellent bilateral cooperation was presented as an example of best practice across all assessed areas within the remit of the two ministries, and the evaluations showed that Bulgaria and Romania are trusted partners that make a significant contribution to the security of the Schengen area.

Bulgaria and Romania became full members of the Schengen area on January 1, 2025, after the Council of the European Union decided on December 12, 2024 to lift checks at the two countries’ land Schengen borders. Before that, as of March 31, 2024 both countries had been fully applying the Schengen acquis, with controls at internal air and maritime borders removed from that date.

Bilateral interior ministry cooperation has been a standing element of the two countries’ Schengen-related preparations and follow-up, including cross-border police coordination and joint planning for risk management at the shared border. In March 2024, officials reviewed cross-border police cooperation and outlined measures to guarantee security once internal border control is lifted.

In March 2025, delegations discussed challenges after the lifting of internal EU land border checks and agreed on joint measures, including an updated Joint Action Plan with compensatory measures and a declaration formalizing rules for cross-border pursuits.

In July 2025, the two ministries’ senior officials praised bilateral cooperation and exchanged information on preparations for upcoming Schengen evaluations.

In October 2025, Bulgaria set up a national coordination and control mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Schengen acquis and to follow up on findings and recommendations from Schengen evaluation reports.