Bulgarian Prime Minister Argues That Eliminating Border Controls Between Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece Violates EU Laws

The concept of eliminating land border controls between Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece has been met with resistance at the political level, according to a statement by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Nikolay Denkov. He emphasized that such a move would contradict EU legislation, indicating that the proposal is not under consideration.

The Prime Minister’s remarks were made in response to a letter sent to Greece’s Minister of Migration and Asylum, Dimitris Kairidis, by Romanian MEPs Dacian Ciolos and Vlad Gheorghe, as well as Greek MEP Georgios Kyrtsos and Bulgarian MP Daniel Laurer. The letter advocated for open land borders between the countries to facilitate tourist traffic in the summer.

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Denkov announced his intentions to hold discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during the European Council meeting in Brussels. He expressed Bulgaria’s desire for support from Berlin to attain full membership in the Schengen Zone and the Eurozone by the end of the year. However, he clarified that Bulgaria is not seeking to establish a separate border-free zone with Bucharest and Athens, emphasizing the importance of cooperation within the EU framework.

The letter from the politicians also highlighted the European Parliament’s resolutions and reports advocating for full Schengen membership, along with support from the Greek tourism and hospitality sector to abolish land border controls. The politicians argued that current border controls are causing significant financial losses for transport companies and tourists, making the travel process cumbersome.

The letter also emphasized the potential economic benefits of open land borders for the northern parts of Greece, particularly in facilitating travel for Bulgarian and Romanian tourists. The politicians stressed the importance of fully opening the land border before the summer period to promote economic development within the region.

Beginning in March of this year, Bulgaria and Romania will enter the Schengen Zone through air and sea travel, based on Austria’s “Air Schengen” proposal. However, irregular migration concerns led to Bulgaria’s and Romania’s exclusion from the Schengen Zone in December 2022. Minister Karner of Austria reiterated the country’s veto regarding the expansion of the Schengen Zone through land borders, citing its inappropriateness at this stage.