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

It is unprofitable for Europe to have Bulgaria and Romania outside Schengen: Finance Minsiter

Photo: Screenshot /Die Welt

Russian propaganda in Bulgaria suggests that Bulgarians are second-class EU citizens. With our entry into Schengen, this will change, says Bulgarian Finance Minister Assen Vassilev in an interview with Die Welt.

According to Vassilev, it is economically unprofitable for Central and Western Europe for Bulgaria and Romania to be outside the zone without border control. 

"Every day, 4,000 trucks cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border to Western Europe, but stay for days at the border with Romania. This makes the transported goods more expensive," Vassilev explains. 

The minister also told Die Welt that the additional fee of 20% imposed on the Russian gas transit through Bulgaria will reduce the profit of Gazprom and make the supply more expensive, which in turn makes the import of Russian gas unprofitable for countries such as Austria and Hungary .



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

Over 108,000 workers from 64 non-EU countries have come to Bulgaria in 6 years

The import of manpower from non-EU countries is record high, but does not cover the needs of the business sector. Since the beginning of the year, 4,202 third-country nationals have been registered for seasonal employment alone. This is 40% of the..

published on 3/18/25 9:41 AM

Bulgaria declares National Day of Mourning in memory of the victims of Kocani nightclub fire

March 18, 2025 has been declared a National Day of Mourning in memory of the young people who died in the tragic fire in a nightclub in the town of  Kočani, Republic of North Macedonia . The decision to this effect was made yesterday by the Bulgarian..

published on 3/18/25 8:55 AM

After summer-like temperatures, snow is coming

At night, the wind will shift from the north-northeast and bring in cold air. On Tuesday, cloudy weather will prevail. In many places there will be snowfalls. The lowest temperatures will be between minus 1°C and 4°C; in Sofia -..

published on 3/17/25 6:45 PM