site.btaInterior Ministry: Bulgarian and Romanian Citizens Will Benefit Fully from Free Movement in Schengen

Bulgaria and Romania contribute significantly to the security of the Schengen area and have not allowed any changes in the security environment after the lifting of controls at air and sea borders. This was acknowledged by Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner during a meeting in Budapest on Friday, held on the initiative of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Interior Ministry press office said.

The interior ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary agreed on a package of measures to protect the EU's external borders as a step towards a decision to abolish controls at the internal land borders of Bulgaria and Romania.

Measures include continuing joint efforts to counter irregular migration to the EU. The protection of external borders is a shared responsibility and Austria, Hungary and Romania will therefore deploy additional numbers of officers to the Bulgarian-Turkish border.

"Bulgaria has made a great effort to fulfil the responsible task of ensuring a high level of security in the Schengen area. Actions at national level, joint work with Romania and all European partners and strategic cooperation with Turkiye have led to lasting results that give greater security to EU citizens," Bulgarian Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov told his colleagues and the European Commissioner for Home Affairs.

The Council decision is expected to be taken at the meeting of interior ministers on December 12 in Brussels. Land border control is to be abolished on January 1, 2025.