site.btaBulgarian, Romanian, Austrian Interior Ministers to Sign Declaration Supporting Bulgaria's Accession to Schengen by Land

A declaration of the interior ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Austria regarding Bulgaria's accession to Schengen by land will be signed on Friday in Budapest, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said on before the start of Wednesday's meeting of the Council of Ministers.

"The declaration is not the final chord for Bulgaria's accession to Schengen by land, but it is a recognition of the work we have done," Glavchev said. He pointed out that illegal border crossing attempts on Bulgarian-Turkish border have decreased by 70%. "This is another step in recognizing the contribution Bulgaria has made to guarding the EU's external borders," the caretaker Prime Minister added.

On Tuesday, Interior Ministry said that the meeting in Budapest will be organized by Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union to discuss forthcoming steps to abolish internal land border controls for Bulgaria and Romania.