Rumyana Bachvarova

Bulgaria has become the first EU Member State to sign a protocol for implementing an agreement for readmission of irregular migrants by Turkey, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala has said.

The protocol was signed in Turkey by Efkan Ala and his Bulgarian counterpart Rumyana Bachvarova, the interior ministry in Sofia said in a statement on Thursday.

Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova is heading to Turkey to sign a readmission agreement on behalf of the country.

Bulgaria and Turkey are expected to put their signatures on a readmission protocol providing for the application of an EU-Turkey agreement.

As many as 20 000 people in Bulgaria drive without having a valid license, police say.

An inquiry from drivers' associations, cited by BGNES wire service, has shown an increase in the number of cases registered by police of people using a motor vehicle without valid documents in 2014, compared to the previous year.

Bulgaria's Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova has called for equal access of all member states to the proposed Entry-Exit System of the EU to boost the efficiency of the fight against organized crime and terrorism.  

Interior and foreign ministers of Bulgaria, Greece, Albania and Macedonia are to meet in Thessaloniki on Thursday and Friday to discuss possible measures to control the migrant inflow into Europe.

The meeting has been called by Greece's top diplomat, Nikos Kotzias.

Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov has confirmed that Bulgarian authorities have information about attempts being made to destabilize the state.

In an interview with daily 24 Chasa, he has reiterated that data provided by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov matches reality and "his information is correct".

Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova has suggested the shooting and publication of a video showing citizen's arrests of Afghan migrants might be part of a provocation targeting the state.

This comes after the video, uploaded by a man who is part of vigilante migrant hunters, triggered a public outcry from human rights activists and international media.

Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova said to journalists in parliament on Friday that the migrant pressure on the country's borders has decreased by between 30 % and 36 % compared to the same period last year.

Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev said on Thursday that there is no migrant pressure on the country's borders and the deployment of 300 additional troops to the borders with Greece and Turkey is a preventive measure.

Bulgaria's parliamentary legal affairs committee approved at first reading on Wednesday the draft amendments to the Interior Ministry Act.

The amendments were narrowly approved as ten MPs voted in favour, two were against, while seven lawmakers abstained.

Last week, the draft was rejected by the internal security and public order parliamentary committee.