site.btaContinue the Change Co-Leader: Hurdles to Schengen Enlargement Increase Political Instability, Augment Russian Influences

Continue the Change co-leader Kiril Petkov said during a Brussels forum that the hurdles to Schengen enlargement increase political instability and augment Russian influences. "Any obstacles to the strengthening of European unity, such as in the enlargement of Schengen to include Bulgaria and Romania, can only increase political instability in the two countries and augment Russian influences in them and in the region," Petkov said in his address at the annual conference of the European Policy Centre, as quoted by his party's press office.

The conference was titled "Time for Strategy: Europe 2024 - 2029 in a Geopolitical World".

"As Europeans, we must learn from our past mistakes. Europe must unite in a coordinated, unified response to the greatest strategic threat to its future," said Petkov. He pointed out that Europe can overcome a number of upcoming global difficulties if it is united and has a common response to the strategic attacks from Russia, which are aimed at the EU as a whole, not just at individual countries.

In the context of the upcoming European elections, this year's conference examined the EU's strategic priorities and the future political course of the Union. European leaders explored the challenges facing the EU at this juncture, its implications for economic security and the opportunities for development.