Bulgaria's Interior Minister to his Austrian Colleague: Schengen needs Bulgaria

Within the framework of the visit to Austria, Deputy Prime Minister for Public Order and Security and Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Demerdzhiev held a meeting with his colleague Gerhard Karner, Federal Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Austria. The emphasis in the talks was placed on the recent positive resolution of the issue of Bulgaria's Schengen membership.

Minister Demerdzhiev expressed satisfaction with the intensive contacts between the two countries in recent months and confirmed the readiness of our country for permanent and open dialogue and joint actions to strengthen trust.

"Effectively countering illegal migration and strengthening trust in the Schengen area are our common goals. Schengen needs Bulgaria," he said, quoted by the press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Demerdzhiev emphasized that Bulgaria continues to fulfill all commitments as an external border of the EU and further strengthens its contribution to the common efforts to reduce illegal migration and secondary movements.

The interior ministers reviewed the implementation of the Action Plan between Austria and Bulgaria and reported that it is already producing concrete results. In this context, Minister Demerdzhiev introduced his Austrian colleague to the pilot project launched in March with the European Commission, building on the bilateral plan - for fast asylum and return procedures at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. He recalled that our country is working with Europol on the creation of a targeted operational group with a view to achieving an even more effective exchange of information and coordination of joint operations against the trafficking networks and a quick response to security threats.

The Bulgarian...