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

Austria and the Netherlands are saying “no” to Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen, for now

| updated on 12/6/22 2:53 PM
Photo: archive

In a comment on Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area, made at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte stated that next year Bulgaria could take steps forward. 

“At this stage, it's not “no” for Bulgaria, it's “not yet”. More time will be needed for two reasons: a new assessment of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, and the Schengen Verification Mechanism. I spoke with President Rumen Radev and I'm optimistic that next year we can take steps forward,” Mark Rutte said.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also stated that Austria is against the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. “More time is needed. We have 75,000 unregistered illegal immigrants in Austria. This means that they have crossed the external border of the EU and have ended up in a landlocked country like Austria. We have to answer these security questions first," Karl Nehammer said.


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