REACTIONS: European Council’s decision on Bulgaria’s Schengen Entry

Continue the Change co-leader and former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said that entry to Schengen for air and sea borders is "a matter of regained trust, a matter of security and a matter of European integration". In a Facebook post, he vehemently dismisses criticism that the decision to allow Bulgaria and Romania into the European border-free area was "crumbs" and too big a compromise. 
"I understand that our political and geopolitical opponents are not very happy about the news of Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen agreement. However, there are times when political and partisan interests have to give way to national ones. And today is just such a day", Petkov writes.

"There is no way to present success as failure. Despite many efforts in this direction," he writes. According to Petkov, our country has been waiting for this moment for 12 years.

In his post he also points out what the advantages will be in it for Bulgaria.

"Air Schengen is not 'nothing'. Ask the tens of thousands of Bulgarians who fill airports and airplanes, work in Europe and return home to their families for the holidays. We will receive significant financial resources to strengthen the borders. This decision will also be an incentive for the Bulgarian border police to work even better and will be a blow to human traffickers. There will be an increased presence of Frontex forces at the border - this is solidarity and an exchange of experience, and it is an additional guarantee of security. We are in the 'game'. Bulgaria politically becomes a member of Schengen, participates in all formats and negotiations, has the right of veto", lists Kiril Petkov.

Petkov points out that we are already obliged to register and accept migrants under the Dublin agreement. 

"Russia, whose policy is to encourage migrants from the Middle East to Europe by all means, is now using all its media and institutional resources to present Bulgaria's success as a failure. Look, for example, at what is currently happening with Finland - they are closing their borders because Russia is busing in large groups of refugees. A few months ago the same thing was happening at the Polish-Belarusian border," Petkov says.

He also congratulates Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov and the entire government, describing what has been achieved as "a huge step forward".

In a position released following the Brussels announcement that the EU Member States have reached an agreement on removing air and maritime internal border controls with Bulgaria from March 2024, Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov said: "We have proved that Bulgaria can protect not only its own borders, but also the borders of united Europe". “The Interior Ministry has put in a lot of effort to ensure that the three fact-finding missions carried out in 2022 and 2023 are successfully completed," he noted. Stoyanov added that the intensive teamwork with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mariya Gabriel and the good interaction with Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov has led to this positive result.

"I have always shared the conviction that when we manage to turn difficulties into necessary challenges, the end result will be fulfilling," Stoyanov said.

He expresses his gratitude to the Bulgarian border police officers, Bulgarian Armed Forces servicepersons, and other Interior Ministry officers for "having to a large extent borne the weight of this battle".

"I believe that together we will continue to be stronger and more united in our future actions so we can proceed toward the next important step at this rate: the abolition of checks at the internal land borders as well," the Interior Minister said.

In a Facebook post, Justice Minister Atanas Slavov said that the decision on Bulgaria and Romania’s Schengen accession would not have been possible without the reforms in the field of justice in addition to effective border protection. He added that in this way, this country will move "from Europe’s periphery to the heart of the Union" and become an actual participant in the decision-making concerning "our common future" and the protection of the common borders. In his words, citizens and businesses will soon feel the practical benefits of easier travel.

"Over the past 12-plus years, the lack of rule of law has been an obvious stumbling block to our efforts for free travel, even though Bulgaria had met the technical criteria. The adoption of the new counter-corruption act and amendments to the Constitution, combined with practical efforts to improve the institutional environment and accelerate changes in the judiciary, have restored the confidence of our European partners in our country and in its ability to ensure security," Slavov said.

The Justice Minister noted that in the year lying ahead, "we must take the next decisive steps towards strengthening the rule of law through strong, effective, and confidence-building institutions".