Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The Netherlands maintains its veto on Bulgaria's Schengen membership

Bulgaria's Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov in Luxembourg, 19 October 2023
Photo: BTA

There is no good reason why Bulgaria's accession to Schengen should not be a fact by the end of the year, said Bulgaria's Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov during the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg. He referred to the published report of the European Commission that Bulgaria and Romania have made significant progress in introducing rapid procedures for granting asylum and returning migrants who arrived illegally in the EU. Stoyanov хас emphasized that next week Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov will make a very important visit to Austria on the issue of Schengen.

The Minister for Migration of the Netherlands, Erik van der Burg, stated that it is not likely that The Hague will lift its veto on Bulgaria's admission to the Schengen area in the near future. He again requested an EU commission to arrive in Bulgaria and give an independent assessment of the country's readiness for membership in the Schengen area. 

European Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson told BNR that she was optimistic about the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen in December.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Rain and snow are expected on Friday

No significant change in the weather is expected over the next 24 hours. It will remain cloudy with widespread and, in many areas, heavy rainfall. It will snow above 600-800 meters. By the end of the day, the rain in the southwestern regions will..

published on 10/2/25 6:45 PM

A flood warning has been issued for 3 October

The European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) has issued a warning of expected complications in Bulgaria on 3 October . Interior Minister Daniel Mitov announced this at a meeting on the readiness of institutions to respond to the expected significant..

published on 10/2/25 6:05 PM
Borislav Sarafov

Supreme Court of Cassation removes Borislav Sarafov as acting chief prosecutor

The Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of Cassation (SCC) ruled that the acting chief prosecutor's powers automatically terminate after the six-month period allowed by legislation. Consequently, Borislav Sarafov is no longer acting chief prosecutor,..

published on 10/2/25 5:47 PM