site.btaBulgaria and Frontex Are Reliable Partners in Protecting EU's External Borders

Bulgaria and Frontex are reliable partners in protecting the external borders of the European Union. Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov and Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens rallied behind the idea, meeting here on Monday, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

During the meeting, MinisterStoyanov thanked Frontex’ Hans Leijtens for the support Bulgaria has been provided over the years to protect one of the most vulnerable external borders of the EU. The two underlined that the joint actions have led to a significant reduction of migration pressure over the last year, which is also reported by the European partners. Since the beginning of this year, the presence of the permanent corps of Frontex officers at the Bulgarian-Turkish and Bulgarian-Serbian borders has been increased.

A willingness was expressed to continue the joint actions, which include both support for border surveillance and assistance with regard to the return of illegal third-country nationals. Bulgaria is one of the Member States most actively using the Frontex Reintegration Programme.

The talks also focused on the implementation of a set of joint measures in the area of respect for fundamental rights, identified during the visit to Sofia last week of the head of the Frontex Fundamental Rights Office Jonas Grimheden, the Interior Ministry said. Last week, the ministry said that the focus of the conversation between the two was the fact that Bulgaria strictly applies European and international legislation in the area of respect for fundamental rights.