Bulgaria's bid to join Schengen: Denkov says the country has made progress, Rutte does not want "sugarcoating" the truth

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov is attending the EU leaders' summit, held in Brussels on October 26. According to him, the likelihood of Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen is above zero, but not one hundred percent.

In his words, Bulgaria is making progress with the necessary laws, but now diplomacy should do its job. Responding to a question by BNT, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that before deciding whether to support the country for Schengen, he was waiting for the Commission's assessment, which should not be "sugar-coated".

The Prime Minister believes that there is no link between the stability of the ruling coalition and our country's accession to Schengen. Yesterday, the “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria” sent a letter to the foreign minister expressing concern about its "less active" position on Schengen.

"We are working very well with Mrs Gabriel. I think her efforts and my efforts and the efforts of the other participants in these processes are complementary. We should all support each other in our common effort to overcome the obstacles. My assessment is positive. Of course, just as Mr Peevski has questions for me, some other MPs may have questions for Mrs Gabriel, there is nothing unusual here," Denkov said.

Mariya Gabriel participated in a meeting of the European People's Party (EPP) in Brussels and commented that Bulgaria receives support for Schengen from "prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers from the EPP".

"I think everyone is unanimous in their assessment. Bulgaria is not only doing well, it is an example of good practice, of good results. What needs to continue, and what I have been doing since day one, since I have been deputy prime minister and foreign minister, is that we talk about results, about figures, and we make our arguments very clear," Gabriel said.

The European Commission confirmed its full support for Bulgaria's entry into Schengen

According to the Prime Minister, the laws are adopted on time, their quality is good, but whether this will lead to Bulgaria’s admission to Schengen is not up to us.

The one on whom it depends - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, said he expected an objective assessment on Bulgaria by the European Commission, but without "sugar-coating the truth".

"We have to be tough but fair on Bulgaria. I know that Nikolai (Denkov) is working very seriously in this government. But we have to see what the Commission will say in December. It has to be strict but fair. That means no sugar-coating of the truth, no shortcuts to Schengen. I know that Ursula von der Leyen is working honestly and rigorously, and then we must see the results. The country can join Schengen if it meets all the requirements'.

Nikolai Denkov said that he expected the Commission to send a letter to the Netherlands inviting them to a mission in Bulgaria.