BTA News

Germany Supports Bulgaria’s Schengen Accession, Chancellor Scholz Says at Meeting with Bulgarian PM Denkov

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov paid a visit to Berlin, where he held a meeting with Germany’s Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday evening. At a joint press conference with Denkov, Scholz said he explicitly supports Bulgaria and Romania to become full Schengen members. Germany will continue to advocate the same to EU partners, the German Chancellor emphasized.

Earlier, the two leaders met to discuss Schengen-related matters, the Western Balkans and the war in Ukraine.

Scholz said that the relations between Germany and Bulgaria are excellent and diverse and today the two countries want to deepen their cooperation. German-Bulgarian economic relations are indeed very successful and in 2022, a trade record of EUR 12 billion had been achieved, he noted. Bulgarian products, and especially automotive industry supplies, are particularly needed in Germany, the German Chancellor added.

According to Scholz, Bulgaria is a reliable partner both in the EU and in NATO, and this was evident in its reactions against the Russian aggression in Ukraine. He thanked Bulgaria for firmly and clearly taking the side of Ukraine.

Denkov noted that he and Scholz agreed that the protection of the EU’s external borders should be a priority and the countries that are under the greatest migrant pressure, such as Bulgaria, should be helped. The Bulgarian PM said that all the Western Balkan countries should be integrated as full European states.

Denkov and Scholz will meet again in the coming days in the framework of the meeting of the European Political Community and the Informal meeting of EU heads of state or government.