site.btaEC Provides EUR 85 Mln to Bulgaria and Romania for Border Management

The European Commission has launched together with Bulgaria and Romania two Cooperation Frameworks on border and migration management. Relevant activities will be supported with EUR 85 million, the EC said in a press release on Monday.

The funding is aimed to enhance national capabilities at the EU external borders. Bulgaria and Romania can now apply for additional funding to extend or upgrade the existing border surveillance systems; purchase of means of transport including with thermo-vision capabilities; purchase of operating equipment such as movement detection cameras and thermo-vision cameras and the development or upgrades of systems, the EC said.

The Cooperation Frameworks build on the successful implementation by the two countries of the pilot projects for fast asylum and return procedures initiated in March 2023 and allows for moving from ad hoc to sustainable solutions.

Monday's decision sets the beginning of preparations for the implementation of new EU rules on migration. The Cooperation Frameworks take into account that the Schengen acquis will be fully applicable in Bulgaria and Romania and that, as from 31 March 2024, controls at the internal air and sea borders will be lifted. Against this background, it also includes actions to further reinforce cooperation between member states, for instance, in the area of police cooperation, to address related cross-border challenges.

Steering Committee meetings with Bulgaria and Romania will continue on a regular basis to implement the measures agreed under the Cooperation Frameworks. This will bring together the Commission, EU Agencies, including Frontex, EU Agency for Asylum and Europol, along with the two national authorities.

The EC recalled that in March 2023 it launched two pilot projects with Bulgaria and Romania. In October 2023, six months after the implementation of the pilot projects, the Commission took stock of the progress and reported tangible results. On this occasion EC President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that Bulgaria and Romania deserve to become full members of the Schengen area.