Chancellor Nehammer Requests Two Bio. Euros for Bulgaria’s Border Protection
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer asked the EU Commission for two Bio. Euros to support Bulgaria’s border control. Nehammer and the Minister of Interior Gerhard Karner observed the situation this week at the Bulgarian-Turkish border.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer Said in a Joint Press Statement with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev That the EU Borders Must Be Better Protected. / Picture: © Bundeskanzleramt (BKA) / Andy Wenzel
Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner used their stay in Bulgaria to get an idea of the situation on the Bulgarian-Turkish border. After being welcomed at Plovdiv airport, they flew along the border with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev. From the air, they took a look at the fence erected there, which had been erected to protect against illegal migrants.
"It is important for the European Union to invest in border protection, a reduction in the seizure of non-registered migrants, as well as rapid procedures and more readmission agreements. According to Bulgaria's cost calculation, 2 billion are needed to expand the border fence," emphasized the Austrian head of government, referring to the model of the Greek border fence during his visit to Elchovo. The EU special summit on 9./10. February will not be about Schengen, but about migration. "The Schengen veto will remain in place until the situation has fundamentally changed," Nehammer said before the trip, and repeatedly called for more EU support to protect the external border. Austria picked up more than 100,000 migrants in 2022, with 40 percent coming from Turkey via Bulgaria, according to the Austrian Interior Ministry. Gerald Tatzgern, the head of anti-smuggling at the Federal Criminal Police Office, accompanied Chancellor Nehammer and Interior Minister Karner in Bulgaria.
Radev expressed understanding of Nehammer's position, but emphasized: "The fact that there are problems in internal countries does not mean that Bulgaria and Romania as foreign countries also have these problems." The economies of both countries are suffering from non-participation in the Schengen area. According to the Bulgarian President, Austria is also “a loser” in this regard as the largest investor in Bulgaria, according to ORF.
Also according to ORF, before the trip, Nehammer had asked for more EU support to protect the outside border. In particular, it is about EU funds for a strong border fence on the Bulgarian side based on the model of Greece. So far, the EU Commission has refused to provide money for walls, fences, and barbed wire, it only wants to support infrastructure at the border. In December, Austria had a veto against the Schengen accession of Bulgaria and Romania. Before his visit, Nehammer said that Austria's Schengen veto remains upright, "until the situation changes fundamentally".