site.btaUPDATED Foreign Minister Believes October 1 Would Be Realistic Date for Bulgaria's Schengen Entry

October 1, 2023 would be a realistic date for Bulgaria's accession to Schengen, caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Milkov told a news conference on Monday after meeting with visiting Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto. Milkov said the date has not been agreed with Bulgaria's partners, but it is a goal the country has set for itself.

Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev expressed his optimism that Sofia will join Schengen "at the beginning of the second half of this year".

"It was awful" to leave Bulgaria out

Milkov vowed: "Bulgaria will work to augment the resources and the activities for addressing the problem of illegal migration."

The nation's chief diplomat also said that Bulgaria will work with the Netherlands and the European Commission to get a Schengen assessment report in June or early July. The report is expected to review what has been done since 2019 in connection with Sofia's bid to join the border-free area. "The idea is that the report should present all results, so that no one will have a reason to say that the report is incomplete or does not meet expectations completely," Milkov said.

The caretaker government expects the National Assembly to pass the bills moved by the Council of Ministers. "This is essential for Bulgaria's accession to Schengen," Milkov argued.

His Hungarian guest commented: "We think it is awful that we did not admit Bulgaria to the Schengen area." Szijjarto noted that the strongest migrant pressure comes via the Western Balkans, and the Central European countries need to make great efforts to resist it. "We count on steady and fair cooperation between Bulgaria and Hungary, and we are very pleased with our cooperation," the guest said.

Milkov said: "As an external Schengen border, Hungary understands what challenges we have to confront." He thanked Szijjarto and Hungary for the support for the Bulgarian priority of joining Schengen.

Border fences

Szijjarto said: "Being at the EU's external borders, we in Hungary and Bulgaria know that for the sake of our own security and the security of Europe, migration should be halted, not managed. It is very dangerous for the EU's future that Brussels does not support real protection of the border. It does not support the maintenance of border fences."

The guest argued that Bulgaria and Hungary have outstretched their capacity to halt illegal migration; they have built fences and are using large human resources. "Schengen members are doing less than Bulgaria is doing to protect the external borders. Therefore, we want Bulgaria to become a member of the Schengen area as soon as possible," he said.

Asked what measures Budapest will take to see Sofia in Schengen, Szijjarto said his country will always oppose double standards. "We will not let subjective criteria supersede the objective conditions set in the treaties. Bulgaria meets the objective conditions and must become a Schengen member. We will not accept any denial of that for political or other reasons," Szijjarto stated.

Economic relations

According to Milkov, Bulgaria's annual trade with Hungary can surpass BGN 2 billion this year. He described it as a very good level which says a lot about Hungary's presence in Bulgaria, including as an investor, and the Bulgarian presence in Hungary.

The war in Ukraine has bad implications for Hungary and Bulgaria, according to Szijjarto. One of the most serious challenges has to do with energy supplies to Europe. "This is not an ideological or political issue, it is a physical issue," he said.

He noted that energy supplies to Hungary are secure because the suppliers are secure, and so are the countries of transit. In 2022, Hungary imported 4.8 billion cubic metres of natural gas via Bulgaria, Szijjarto said. "Both Bulgaria and Hungary use nuclear energy, but EU bans have rendered the transportation of nuclear elements from Russia impossible. We need to find new routes. We found one with the help of Bulgaria. Since December of last year, nuclear heating elements for the Hungarian reactor have been coming through Bulgaria and Romania," Szijjarto said.