Justice Minister: Bulgaria, Romania Are Technically Ready for Schengen Accession

Sofia, Oct 08 (BTA/GNA) – “With Schengen, things are evolving in the right direction, and this is largely due to the efforts of the caretaker government, which raised a forgotten topic,” said caretaker Minister of Justice Krum Zarkov on the air of Nova TV on the occasion of the upcoming visit of experts from the European Commission to Bulgaria, who will check the implementation of the Schengen legislation.

According to Zarkov, the countries that obstruct Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area are finding it increasingly difficult to find arguments for this. “This visit is voluntary – we, together with Romania, have requested it to demonstrate once again that we are ready with all technical parameters,” Zarkov added. In his words, there is no reason for Romania and Bulgaria to be separated when they join Schengen. “I do not see why Romania should have a better chance than us. We have equal rights,” Zarkov said.

He added that the efforts on Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area should be continued by the next government. The decision is political, its consequences are practical, according to Minister Zarkov. “There is an obvious strong migratory pressure on the Bulgarian-Turkish border, and we should secure it with the forces we have and not scatter them on the internal borders,” Zarkov said.

“Bulgaria has earned the right to deeper integration into the European space, which is key for both Europe and Bulgaria,” the minister added.

BTA/GNA