Schengen Area

The issue of ‘evicting’ any member-state from the Schengen area was neither raised nor discussed, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said on Friday speaking at the Economist’s ‘The World in 2016 Gala Dinner’ in Athens.

Greek Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas  expressed his concerns on those who have asked the temporary exit of Greece from Schengen area, even thought European Union has not officially stated anything like that.

Bulgarian Prime Minister called on Friday for an immediate closure of the external borders of the EU in view of the ongoing migrant crisis.

Borisov said this during a joint briefing with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban who arrived on a visit to Bulgaria on Thursday evening.

At a press conference during his visit to Sofia on Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called on the EU to offer to Bulgaria membership to the Schengen Area.

Orban assured that Bulgaria is capable of guarding its borders not only against smugglers, but also against migrants.

The Hungarian prime minister said that double standards were applied towards Bulgaria.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban, who arrived on a visit to Sofia on Thursday evening, exchanged gifts at the official dinner ahead of their meeting on Friday.

Borisov presented Orban with a phiale (libation bowl) of the Bulgarian khans - the medieval rulers of the country.

Bulgaria wants to enter the Schengen Area which is one of the best achievements of the European Union, the country's President Rosen Plevneliev has said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

Plevneliev was on a working visit to Italy on 27-28 January

While Brussels warn Greece of having three months to meet its obligations and comply with EU recommendations on safeguarding effectively its external borders and improving refugee and immigrants identification process, international media create a negative atmosphere for Greece publishing articles on Greece’s possible exit from Schengen area.

The delivery of new, modernized Turkish identity cards will be completed across the country by 2018, as Turkish authorities recently announced Turkish IDs would be updated in line with the country's deal with the European Union on easing visa restrictions for Turkish citizens traveling to Europe.

Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said on Wednesday the draft Schengen evaluation report on Greece “showed serious deficiencies” but that the situation has started to improve, following the discussion of the report by the College of Commissioners in Brussels.

Sweden intends to expel up to 80,000 failed asylum seekers, the interior minister said on Jan. 27, the latest move by EU states to tighten their borders in the face of the migrant crisis.