Bavaria supports Bulgaria's bid to join Schengen

Bavaria supports Bulgaria's bid to join Schengen, Bavaria’s Minister President Markus Soeder said after a meeting with Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov at the Council of Ministers on May 2. According to Borissov, Bulgaria is the most disciplined member of the EU, with perfect macroeconomic indicators and 100% resolved migratory risk.

Bulgaria deserves to be a full member of the Schengen area - said Markus Soeder, who is on an official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of PM Boyko Borisov. At a two-hour meeting in the Council of Ministers, they discussed bilateral co-operation in the area of home affairs, security, economic and financial cooperation. Markus Soeder, who was the biggest adversary and critic of Bulgaria's acceptance of Schengen, has changed his mind. In his words, our country is perfectly guarding the EU's external borders, it manages to cope with the migratory pressure, member states need to recognise this fact.

PM Borissov reiterated that Bulgaria is 100% prepared for membership in Schengen and ranks first in Europe in terms of arrested and sentenced migrant traffickers.

Minister President Markus Soeder said Bulgaria guards Europe's external borders remarkably. We also want to strengthen the role of Frontex, but I do not think this will happen quickly, he added. That is why there are national measures that are being taken once the new commission is established. The other issue is how to rethink the subject of Schengen, and this is one debate that is being held in Europe, for internal border controls. Obviously, Bulgaria has done a lot for the European Union, well above average, he said.

Bulgaria is also trying to attract a big investment from Germany through the opening of a car manufacturing plant. Prime Minister Borissov hopes for Bavarian co-operation. The meeting between the two leaders ended with the signing of a bilateral co-operation agreement in the field of home affairs, and continues with a conference organized by the Ministry of the Interior on what Bulgaria is doing to tackle migratory pressure.