22.06.2018
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov informed in a telephone conversation his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban on the position he will present at the working meeting in Brussels on Sunday on migration and asylum. Earlier today, the Bulgarian Prime Minister also spoke in front of the members of parliament.
Prime Minister Borissov insists on immediate measures to close the EU external borders and strict control on inbound individuals, including at internal borders. This will require emergency aid for frontline countries in equipment, financial means, increased presence of FRONTEX, etc.
Another proposal by the Bulgarian Prime Minister is to establish crisis centers for refugee reception outside Europe to be able to review their cases and identify those who are in real need of protection. According to Boyko Borissov, to this purpose, it is also necessary that the EU supports financially and technologically the countries in which such centers are to be located.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister will insist on an analysis of migratory flows that have already arrived and are in Europe. It is necessary to distinguish those in need of protection from economic migrants, as well as the policies for the two groups.
According to Borissov, Member States should take responsibility both for asylum seekers and for measures to ensure that they can return to their homes after the end of the conflicts.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov believes that illegal migrants without need of protection should be returned to their country of origin or in the last state, which is considered safe before entering EU territory. This is why political efforts are needed for readmission agreements with third countries.
During the telephone conversation, Viktor Orban informed the Bulgarian Prime Minister about the meeting of the Visegrad Four countries with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz. He also assured Boyko Borissov that he fully supports his position on the immediate closure of borders and the construction of centers for migrants. Orban said that Hungary and the rest of the Visegrad Quartet remain with a "no" position with regard to the mandatory resettlement of refugees.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that Bulgaria, as a frontline country, together with Greece, Italy, and Spain, cannot agree with returning migrants already in Europe to the countries of first registration. This would aggravate the situation in these countries by conferring on them double responsibilities - border protection and refugee care on their territory. "This is unfair and unbalanced for the frontline countries that were flooded with the 2014-2015, 2015 and 2016 migrant waves," Boykos Borissov said. Viktor Orban promised to inform the Visegrad leaders and discuss these difficulties for Bulgaria in detail.
