The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria strongly objects to the decisions of the Dutch Prime Minister and the Austrian Chancellor to veto and not support the accession of our country to the Schengen Area.

With the signing of the Schengen Agreement of 1985 and the complementary Schengen Convention of 1990 (in force since 1995), European leaders made clear their intention to work towards the full realization of the goals of a UNITED, STRONG AND SOLIDARITY EUROPE.

Today, two of the successors of these worthy European leaders openly demonstrate with their behavior a policy of disunity, impotence and selfishness.

Nikolay Milkov met with the ambassador of the Netherlands in our country because of Schengen

Here we must recall that there are several decisions of the European Commission and the European Parliament for the admission of Bulgaria to Schengen.

Bulgaria met the criteria for joining Schengen as early as 2011, and its readiness has been repeatedly confirmed by the Council of the EU, the European Commission and the European Parliament.

We find it unacceptable that additional conditions should be imposed on our country.

Moreover, Bulgaria was the subject of two inspections for the fulfillment of the criteria for Schengen membership, both of which ended with positive reports for our country, and in the last two months, first the European Parliament, and then the European Commission, called for the country's acceptance us to the Schengen area without further delay. 

No new requirements can be placed on any EU member state by another, which are not based on common EU decisions.

The absence of border controls facilitates the free movement of people and capital, which is a prerequisite for faster recovery from the current economic and social crisis, as well as for faster and sustainable economic growth.

Stopping our country on the way to the free travel zone will harm not only the Bulgarian, but also the European economy.

On the other hand, the enlargement of Schengen will increase the general security of the EU's external borders and contribute to the better effectiveness of police cooperation between the member states.

Despite the indisputable findings of the European institutions, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and the Chancellor of Austria, Karl Neuhammer, drew an unprecedented dividing line on the old continent.

KNSB finds the argument about the high levels of corruption in Bulgaria compared to other countries untenable, expressed by the Dutch government, in view of the fact that this same government supports Romania's accession to Schengen.

According to the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index for 2021, Bulgaria and Romania occupy the last places in the European Union in terms of corruption by three points, and between them is Hungary, which has been a full member of the Schengen area since 2007.

Obviously, Bulgaria must be punished for the edification of those who, until now, allow themselves to question the rule of law in the European Union with impunity.

Yes, Bulgaria is the poorest country in Europe, but with all its actions to consistently support the EU and its expansion to the Western Balkans (regardless of the political orientation of the governments in recent decades), Bulgaria has proven to be among the most loyal members of the Union .

The largest trade union in Bulgaria has also shown in practice that, together with related trade union organizations from other member states (including Austria), it has always sought and found correct and effective solutions to problems related to free movement, migration, employment, social dumping and protection of the labor and social rights of Bulgarian citizens working abroad.

These initiatives of ours are highly appreciated both by the respective national trade union headquarters, with which we have signed bilateral cooperation agreements, and by the EKP.

Mr. Politicians, do you not talk to the unions in your countries, or is it more convenient for you to cover up internal problems that you cannot deal with?

We will not allow Bulgaria to be a scapegoat for the deepening problems in the EU and we will oppose any such act of blatant discrimination against our country.

Schengen

KNSB