Interior Ministry "Copes Well" since Bulgaria's Full Schengen Accession

Valentin Evstatiev, Konstantin Kostov

Interior Minister Daniel Mitov (right) and Border Police Director Anton Zlatanov present an acquisition of 52 vans financed through the European Commission's Border Management and Visa Instrument for 2021-2027.

Sofia,

26.02.2025 17:20

(BTA)

The Interior Ministry is coping quite well as growing amounts of drugs are seized and human traffickers arrested along Bulgaria's Schengen borders, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said on Wednesday. He said statistical data show that the country's border with Turkiye is one of the best protected external EU frontiers.

Mitov was speaking to journalists about his department's performance since Bulgaria became a full member of the Schengen free travel zone on January 1.

Border Police Director Anton Zlatanov said the aim is to maintain the good results of earlier periods and to achieve even better results. Zlatanov said the migratory pressure situation has improved in the first month and a half of 2025.

The Bulgarian border police are exercising very strict control within 30 km from the borders with Schengen members Greece and Romania, although routine border checks have been lifted. "We maintain presence and conduct checks on each road from and to our neighbours," Zlatanov added. He noted that it is important to keep migratory pressure from shifting from the Turkish-Bulgarian border to the Greek-Bulgarian border.

Mitov and Zlatanov presented an acquisition of 52 vans financed through the European Commission's Border Management and Visa Instrument for 2021-2027. European Commission Representative to Bulgaria Yordanka Chobanova, who was also at the ceremony, said the national authorities have shown remarkable dedication to protecting the borders. "The European Commission stands right behind Bulgaria as it wants the EU and Bulgaria to be safe and protected," Chobanova said.

/RY/