site.btaBulgaria’s Schengen Accession Will Reinforce Integration in SE Europe, President Radev Tells von Der Leyen

Bulgaria’s and Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area is not just an investment in regional security and stability, but will reinforce the European integration process in Southeast Europe, President Rumen Radev told European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen during a working meeting before the ceremony for the launch into commercial operation of the Greece-Bulgaria gas interconnector (IGB) here on Saturday, Radev’s Press Secretariat reported.

The Bulgarian head of State familiarized the visiting EC President with the proposal of the gas transmission operators of Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary to increase transmission of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe via their national gas transmission networks. This will allow to speed up natural gas supplies to the EU while using existing pipelines that would only require slight modifications, without the need to build new ones. 

During the official ceremony at Sofia’s National Palace of Culture (NDK) Convention Centre, von der Leyen described the start of the IGB as a “new era for Bulgaria and Southeast Europe”, adding that the interconnector can cover all of Bulgaria’s natural gas consumption. She further noted that Europe is at a critical crossroads when it comes to energy security, which calls for a joint European response that will reduce energy costs for households.