Europe cannot accept all the refugees who are rushing to it and it must stop the policy of saying “Welcome” in order to cope with the external pressures. For this purpose, specific measures are needed for the exchange of experience and information between the services of the different countries. This became clear from the words of Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Leitner, who participated in a meeting of the Salzburg Forum held in Sofia.

At the meeting in the Bulgarian capital, the member states of the Salzburg forum discussed as their common goal the reducing of the refugee pressure in Southeast and Eastern Europe and the migrant flow on the Balkan route, as well as creating conditions for better exchange of information between the security services. The meeting was hosted by Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova. Among the priorities of the Bulgarian presidency of the Salzburg forum she highlighted the fight against illegal migration and human trafficking, countering terrorism and radicalization as well as enhancing the cooperation with the Western Balkans and Moldova.

Participants in the Salzburg Forum are nine European countries which determine their presence in this format as very fruitful, because through it they manage to coordinate their positions and find solutions when they need to participate in the European debate. At the meeting in Sofia, the Austrian Interior Minister commented on the need to identify "hot spots" in Europe for monitoring the profile of the people entering the continent.

According to Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova, the idea of the new communication system for people seeking asylum is key to the EU, as the first step to achieving this is the better exchange of information. She added that the forum participants defined as "unprecedented" the refugee pressure and that coordinated action is needed. The mitigation of migration processes and combating radicalism were also major topics discussed at the meeting in Sofia.

"Terror has already arrived in the heart of Europe, and it is not for the first time, but for yet another time," noted the Austrian interior minister. Information sharing presupposes trust where data protection is very important, Johanna Mikl-Leitner argued. She elaborated on the measures necessary to be taken in the future, saying:

"Joint action is required in the struggle against human trafficking and terrorism. Austria is not only a transit country, but it is also a desired destination for migrants. Since the start of September, over 500,000 people have crossed the Austrian borders. Austria as well as Germany and Sweden cannot deal with all applications for asylum. The Geneva Convention defines who should receive protection. Fortunately, it is not up to us, politicians, to take these decisions, but it is the task of independent services. It is not within the power of any one country to tackle these challenges alone. We must seek common solutions. We cannot accept all the refugees who are willing to come here. Europe must abandon the culture of saying "Welcome" to everyone as this form of "hospitality" should be replaced with a return to our roots. On the agenda now is the fight against terrorism and we see how it has reached the heart of the continent. It is high time that all experts in anti-terrorism acted together. Within the Bulgarian presidency, the Salzburg forum in close cooperation with Austria and other countries has developed the concept of a Union against illegal immigration. We have a joint plan which also includes the countries of the Western Balkans. It includes issues related to human trafficking and dealing with the emigration flow along the Balkan route. We undertake pan-European measures, paying attention mainly to Central and Eastern Europe. In order to guarantee the security in Europe it is very important to exchange information and data between countries. A clear distinction has to be made between people who are in need of protection and those that do not need asylum," said the Interior Minister of Austria Johanna Mikl-Leitner at the forum in Sofia.

English Rossitsa Petcova