Confirmed: Hungary Issued Ultimatum To Veto Schengen If Bulgaria Does Not Remove The Tax On Russian Gas

Hungary has sent an official message to Bulgaria that if the country does not remove the fee for the transfer of Russian gas, Budapest will impose a veto on Bulgaria's accession to Schengen. This was explained by Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov in response to a question about the reason for the decision of the Bulgarian authorities to postpone the fee.

"I think it's good to know that. Hungary has sent an official, albeit low-level, message that if the fee is not lifted, they will veto Schengen. So we decided not to take any chances at this time with important, though I wouldn't say that they are decisive, steps in terms of Schengen," Denkov pointed out.

Negotiations on Bulgaria's accession to Schengen continue. The strategy of the Bulgarian government is to negotiate the land borders.

"We have already prepared a proposal, we will send it to Austria. Of course, we will also use the EC as a mediator, so we are continuing work. Just yesterday I was able to speak with von der Leyen, the President of Romania, and Nehammer, so the preliminary talks have taken place. There is a desire from all to continue the negotiations, so we will continue.

What we do not want is to remain hostage to decisions that have nothing to do with the EU's common development logic. What we are trying to avoid is the need to again enter into a European Council decision that requires unanimity," he pointed out.

The Prime Minister is in Brussels for the EU - Western Balkans Summit and the meeting of the European Council.