To preserve what has been achieved over the past 40 years for another 40 and beyond, Schengen will need constant renewal. And Bulgaria has an important role to play in making that happen, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner told BTA in a written interview ahead of his visit to Bulgaria on Monday.
“To safeguard Schengen, we must first strengthen our external borders by deploying modern IT systems, reinforcing key border areas, and boosting Frontex’s resources – with Bulgaria playing a vital a vital role in protecting the EU’s external frontier,” said the Commissioner in the written interview.
This month marks 40 years since the signing of the Schengen Agreement by the governments of Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, aimed at removing border checks between member states and paving the way for the free movement of people. The agreement is named after the Luxembourg village of Schengen on the Moselle River, where the borders of France, Luxembourg, and Germany meet at a single point. Today, the Schengen Area consists of 29 countries: 25 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Ireland and Cyprus are the only two EU countries not part of Schengen.
“Schengen is one of the most powerful achievements of our Union. It touches the lives of over 450 million Europeans – in concrete ways, boosting tourism, making goods cheaper and providing opportunities to work and study,” said Brunner. The Commissioner added that with summer holidays approaching, millions of EU citizens will enjoy one of the core benefits of Schengen: being able to travel to another Schengen country without additional bureaucracy. “And this year, for the first time, citizens of Bulgaria will fully share that freedom,” he said.
Today, Brunner is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and Minister of the Interior Daniel Mitov to discuss the Pact on Migration and Asylum, migration management, Bulgaria’s integration into Schengen, and border control policies.
Later in the day, Commissioner Brunner, Minister Mitov, and Greek Deputy Minister for Migration and Asylum Sevi Voloudaki will visit the Kulata–Promachonas border crossing, where they will make statements to the media. The three will then cross into Greece together, marking the free movement without border checks within Schengen.
“The Pact on Migration and Asylum is a very good foundation to bring our European house in order. It improves our internal processes, like swifter asylum procedures, more effective external border management and improved returns,” said the Commissioner. He explained that the pact, which will enter into force next year, includes a solidarity mechanism that creates a balance between responsibility and mutual assistance. In this way, countries particularly affected by migration receive support from others – through the acceptance of migrants, financial contributions, or operational assistance. “This will prevent individual countries from having to take in a disproportionate number of asylum seekers,” Magnus Brunner also said.
Here is the full text of the interview:
Commissioner Brunner, as we mark 40 years since the signing of the Schengen Agreement – and with Bulgaria having joined the Schengen area on January 1, 2025 – how does the Commission intend to balance the freedom of movement within the EU with national security concerns in an era marked by terrorism risks, hybrid threats, and increased illegal migration?
– Schengen is one of the most powerful achievements of our Union. It touches the lives of over 450 million Europeans – in concrete ways, boosting tourism, making goods cheaper and providing opportunities to work and study.
With the summer vacations approaching, millions of EU citizens will enjoy one of the core benefits of Schengen: being able to travel to another Schengen country without additional bureaucracy. And this year, for the first time, citizens of Bulgaria will fully share that freedom.
To keep the Schengen area going and growing, we will need constant renewal along three main lines: strengthening our external borders, fixing problems in the EU’s migration management system and equipping our law enforcement authorities with the tools they need to act against threats that we face in a fast changing security risk landscape.
As Commissioner for Internal Affairs and an Austrian national, how do you reflect on Austria’s previous resistance to Bulgaria’s Schengen accession? Was that position a mistake in hindsight, or do you believe it helped address legitimate concerns?
– We are facing threats to the Schengen area almost every day, and as politicians, we need to address these challenges and find ways to improve. That is what the constant political and technical dialogue achieved with Bulgaria’s accession.
Austria had concerns about the potential impact, but ultimately it was the Bulgarian authorities who convinced Austrian citizens that enough is being done to protect the EU’s borders — to create an area of free movement from the Atlantic to the Black Sea.
I have always supported Bulgaria’s accession, and said so clearly in my European Parliament hearing.
The Dublin rules provided for the return of asylum seekers to frontline states like Bulgaria. With the New Pact on Migration and Asylum coming into force next year, to what extent will these rules be replaced or reformed – and is Bulgaria expected to see relief from this burden?
– The Pact on Migration and Asylum is a very good foundation to bring our European house in order. It improves our internal processes, like swifter asylum procedures, more effective external border management and improved returns.
The Pact includes a solidarity mechanism, which creates a balance between responsibility and solidarity. States that are particularly affected by migration receive support from others, either through the acceptance of migrants, financial contributions, or operational assistance. This will prevent individual countries from having to take in a disproportionate number of asylum seekers in the future. These new rules will stabilise the asylum system across the entire EU.
If Bulgaria activates the mandatory solidarity mechanism in the event of significant migratory pressure at the border with Turkey, how will the EU ensure that other member states do not simply opt out by contributing financially to the migrants’ accommodation in Bulgaria instead of agreeing to relocate migrants?
– The system that Member States agreed on, the Pact on Migration and Asylum, provides a guarantee of solidarity.
In particular it ensures that a Member State in need will always be able to benefit from “people solidarity” – either in the form of relocations or offsets, ensuring that the number of people for which they are responsible for is effectively alleviated.
At the same time each Member State can decide for itself which type of solidarity measure it wants to use. A combination of different solidarity measures is also possible.
Looking forward, how do you envision Schengen evolving in the next 10 years – and what role should Bulgaria play in shaping that future, especially as a country that is now both at the external border and within the travel-free zone?
– To safeguard what has been achieved in the last 40 years for another 40 and beyond, Schengen will need constant renewal. And Bulgaria has a big role to play for this to happen.
To safeguard Schengen, we must first strengthen our external borders by deploying modern IT systems, reinforcing key border areas, and boosting Frontex’s resources – with Bulgaria playing a vital role in protecting the EU’s external frontier. Second, we are fixing flaws in the EU’s migration system through the new Pact on Migration and Asylum and measures to increase returns, alongside deeper cooperation with third countries. These reforms, set to take effect in 2026, will bring real change. Third, we must equip law enforcement to face evolving cross-border threats by enhancing Europol’s operational role and improving access to crucial data. Together, these steps – with Bulgaria fully contributing as a Schengen member – will strengthen both our security and the integrity of free movement.