site.btaPM Denkov Sheds Light on Dublin Regulation in Parliament

Regarding the negotiations that were held for Schengen entry, the Bulgarian government has not accepted any obligation other than to react fast enough, as required by the Dublin III Regulation, in terms of the speed with which applications are processed, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said in Parliament to a question from the leader of Vazrazhdane Kostadin Kostadinov about Bulgaria’s possible obligation to receive refugees after entering Schengen.

No numbers have been discussed and the way the Dublin agreement has worked so far will continue to work until its next change is adopted, the Prime Minister said. 

“Stop making up numbers that have nothing to do with the truth, because all you are doing is scaring people, but they already see that what you are scaring them with is not happening and will not happen,” Denkov urged. 

“As usual, truths were mixed with lies on this topic. Two lies were told, the first one is that there is a change in policy. The Dublin agreement was signed by Bulgaria in 2007 by the then BSP-led government, then it was changed in 2013 and again it was supported by the Bulgarian government, led by BSP,” he added.   

“As always, the liar cries “Thief!”,” Kostadin Kostadinov replied. He corrected Denkov, pointing out that in 2007 the government was led by MRF.

Kostadinov pointed out that there was one phrase in particular in the talks with the Austrians – the strict implementation of the Dublin Regulation. “So far, Bulgaria has not been applying the Dublin Regulation because if we were, our country would have been filled with migrants long ago,” Kostadinov noted. In his words, 300,000 migrants a year pass through Bulgaria alone. According to the Vazrazhdane leader, Bulgaria's entry into Schengen is dangerous for national security, because when we are obliged to accept every one of these migrants, "what with the demographic collapse, in no more than 7-8 years we will end up with more foreigners on the territory of the country than Bulgarian citizens," he said. 

The Dublin Regulation is as it was in 2013, and nothing will change from what was signed with Austria and Romania regarding Bulgaria's admission to Schengen, Prime Minister Denkov said. In his words, the opposition is trying to paint a form of relief for Bulgarian citizens and businesses as a failure. 

Denkov pointed out that expected changes in the Dublin agreement will help the Bulgarian state not to be in danger of being flooded by refugees, precisely because in the new regulation refugees have to be distributed fairly among member states, while until now they were to be detained in border countries like Bulgaria.

Even under the current less favourable regulation, last year, 2023, only 193 applications for return of citizens were submitted by Austria, and we have accepted 113, the Prime Minister said.