Annelies

Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs, expressed optimism about the potential removal of internal land borders in Bulgaria and Romania within the Schengen Area by the end of 2024. Johansson made these remarks during discussions with journalists in Luxembourg, coinciding with the start of a two-day EU Council meeting on Justice and Home Affairs, as reported by BTA.

A recently unveiled Europol report has shown the pervasive influence of criminal networks in the European Union, particularly implicating Bulgarians, Romanians, Serbs, and Ukrainians in the most perilous operations related to human trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation.

A spokesperson for Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden has confirmed media reports that Piraeus, Greece's largest port, has been excluded from the European Ports Alliance due to significant ownership by the Chinese shipping group Cosco.

Drug smugglers in the European Union have become so "very creative" that the bloc's seaports should join forces to combat their ever-changing tactics, Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden has said.