30.06.2018
"I am European, but Bulgaria is dearer to me. We have always been showing the most solidarity but I have a different understanding of solidarity - everyone should be responsible for their borders. I am talking in respect to external border states." Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said in reaction to the news that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reached a return agreement with 14 countries to send back migrants trying to enter Germany. Borissov pointed out that when the migratory wave began, Bulgaria took immediate measures. "We built a border protection facility, we invested in police, gendarmerie, we changed the law, and we enabled the army to participate in border security activities," the Prime Minister said. Borissov underlined the agreement with Turkey and its importance for security and defined the March Summit in Varna as key to its continued implementation. "Our efforts and this working arrangement ensured the EU's external borders. This is solidarity,” he said.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the main measures in the fight against illegal migration proposed by Bulgaria should be deployed at one and the same time - to secure the EU's external borders with financial assistance, with people and equipment, to negotiate with non-EU countries to build platforms - the so-called hotspots, and work on new agreements with third parties. "All three measures should act simultaneously. They must be put into action immediately,” Borissov said.
The Prime Minister reiterated the position of our country, which he also stated at the most recent European Council meeting - that Bulgaria will not accept migrants who are already in Europe. "Our position is equally fair to all," Borissov highlighted. He called for a common European solution, indicating that a number of committees and expert groups have been working on migration for months.
