Maria Gabriel: Bulgaria is part of the solution to the problem of migration pressure – Bulgaria

B Hungary is part of the solution to the problem of migration pressure and our accession to Schengen will make the control of the EU’s external borders even more efficient, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel at a joint press conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna.

The press conference was broadcast live on the YouTube channel of the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

The Deputy Prime Minister stated that Bulgaria supports Austria’s vision that the Schengen area must adapt to the new realities.

Gabriel noted that the subject of Schengen is related to the bilateral relations between Sofia and Vienna from the point of view of the development of business relations and tourism.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said Bulgaria is “moving in the right direction” to join Schengen, but he says there are many challenges in the Schengen area. as many countries roll back their border controls. According to him, Bulgaria must make more efforts in protecting the external borders of the European Union, and Austria’s veto is not personally aimed at Bulgaria or Romania.

Schallenberg pointed out that Austria is surrounded by member states or associated states of the Schengen area and yet continues to have the largest share of asylum seekers in Europe.

“Austrians love Schengen, but they have the impression that the system is currently dysfunctional and does not give them the sense of security they need,” he added.

Meanwhile, the President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, believes that the decision of his country’s government to block the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area is “wrong”.

He also sharply criticized the Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer.

“When the federal government of Austria said no to the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, I made a public statement saying that I did not agree with the decision of my government. I saw no point in blocking Romania and Bulgaria from the Schengen area system. The question is much broader, how to control the flow of people seeking work or asylum in the 27 EU countries. I find the decision of the Austrian federal government wrong, but I hope that one day it will be reconsidered. I have had several the contact with the Romanian and the Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. Even today, I believe that the decision was not correct”, noted the Austrian head of state.