Minister Mitov: As a member of the Schengen area Bulgaria will continue to contribute to the common security of the European Union

With these words, the Minister of Interior Daniel Mitov opened the international conference "Bulgaria in Schengen." He recalled the challenges that the Ministry of Interior and other Bulgarian institutions had faced on their way to full membership: "Since 2007, we have undergone numerous checks. We have managed to change the perception of the Ministry of Interior employees regarding cross-border cooperation, and I am proud to say that today our staff is part of the common culture of law enforcement in the EU. We have met numerous technical criteria. We have reorganized the activities of our border authorities and successfully introduced the highest EU standards and best practices, which allows us to successfully control the migratory pressure on one of the most sensitive external borders," Minister Mitov pointed out.

"We are a secure external border of the European Union and are becoming increasingly secure. For two consecutive years, we have seen a 70% decrease in migratory pressure," said Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, Director of the General Directorate Border Police. "The processes are global and there is no way to achieve zero migration, but the current levels are the result of hard work, and we are trying to maintain and improve them."

The international conference "Bulgaria in Schengen" is part of a series of initiatives within the European Union dedicated to marking the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Schengen Agreement. The event brings together leading representatives of various Bulgarian law enforcement agencies, partners from neighboring Schengen member states, EU agencies in the field of home affairs, as well as international and non-governmental organizations. They exchange experience and good practices in the field of compensatory measures at national level, cooperation with EU agencies and third countries, the use of security systems in the era of digitalisation and artificial intelligence, and cross-border operational cooperation to combat migrant smuggling and other criminal activities.

The conference is organized with the financial support of the European Commission through the Border Management and Visa Policy Instrument 2021-2027.