site.btaPM Glavchev Meets with Netherlands Counterpart Rutte

Bulgaria's caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev met with Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the latter's invitation during the Special European Council meeting in Brussels, the government information service said. It quoted Rutte as saying that Bulgaria deserved to join the border-free Schengen area and that it was unacceptable to leave land border controls in place. He promised to intervene with Austria in favour of Bulgaria's full Schengen membership.

Air and sea border controls were lifted for Bulgaria on March 31.

For his part, Glavchev thanked the Netherlands for supporting Bulgaria's efforts to join the euro area. Rutte said Bulgaria was coping on it own.