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

Von der Leyen wants Bulgaria, Romania in Schengen "witout further delay"

Photo: EPA/BGNES / Photo: ЕПА/БГНЕС

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged EU countries to immediately accept Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area in her annual State of the Union address. "They have proved it: Bulgaria and Romania are part of our Schengen area. So let us finally bring them in – without any further delay," she insisted before the MEPs in Strasbourg. She thanked the two countries for their leading role in implementing best practices in the field of asylum and return.

"We have been waiting for this call from Ursula von der Leyen. We all expect member states to comply with it," Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel commented from Strasbourg. "As far as the Netherlands is concerned, the European Commission's request was a decisive step. Bulgaria must show the Netherlands a long-term commitment to the rule of law. I believe that with the work of the government and parliament over the last three months, Bulgaria has made a clear commitment that we can rely on. Austria is not opposed to the accession of Bulgaria and Romania," Gabriel added.



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

Snow, rain and freezing temperatures

Minimum temperatures on Monday will be between minus 4 and 1°C. In Sofia it will be around minus 3°C. The mercury will hover between -3 and 0 °C in the north. Maximum temperatures in southern Bulgaria will be between 2 and 7°C. In the capital it will..

published on 2/16/25 7:05 PM

New Russian emigration in Bulgaria pays tribute to Alexei Navalny

The one-year anniversary of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was marked with a memorial service in Sofia's St Nedelya Cathedral. It was organised by the movement "For a Free Russia" - an association of Russian immigrants in..

published on 2/16/25 5:39 PM

Scientists bring back live fish from Antarctica 

Kristiyan Vladov and Stefan Kyurkchiev of the Plovdiv Museum of Natural History are working on a project to bring live fish from the southern Arctic Circle to Bulgaria . The aim is to create an Antarctic aquarium in Plovdiv, where visitors - from..

published on 2/16/25 2:04 PM