Border control

Greek police participated in the European Joint Action Day targeting organized property crime. Coordinated by Frontex and Europol, the operation took place from October 7-18, engaging 20 EU countries and seven non-EU partners.

Greece conducted intensive vehicle and identity checks at border crossings and other areas, including Thessaloniki and Athens.

The European Union has officially approved Bulgaria and Romania as full members of the Schengen area. The decision, announced on Thursday at a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels, comes after the two countries partially joined Schengen by air and sea in March.

Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, Director of the Border Police Directorate, praised the efforts that led to Bulgaria's advancement toward Schengen membership, marking that the progress made in the last two years was crucial for the diplomatic and political steps taken for full inclusion.

European Union ministers on Thursday agreed to let Bulgaria and Romania fully integrate into Europe's ID-check-free travel zone, known as the Schengen area, by lifting land border controls from next year, the EU's Hungarian presidency said.

EU states on Thursday cleared Bulgaria and Romania to become full members of the borderless Schengen zone from the start of next year, officials said.

"It is a historic moment to finally welcome Bulgaria and Romania," said Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Bulgaria and Romania will officially become full members of the Schengen area starting on January 1, 2025. This decision was confirmed today during a meeting of the EU Council of Justice and Home Affairs.

The process for granting Greek citizenship to foreign nationals continues to be bogged down by a mass of red tape and bureaucratic hurdles that cause unbearable delays.

Even when applicants pass the relevant exams, they must wait way too long to become naturalized. 

Bureaucratic hurdles do not constitute immigration policy nor assimilation policy.

Turkish media outlets have reacted strongly to the anticipated accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen Area, with headlines emphasizing a perceived negative impact on Turkey.

Bulgaria's admission to the Schengen area could bring substantial financial benefits, amounting to an estimated 1.63 billion leva annually. This projection comes from a study conducted by the Institute for Economic Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, commissioned by the Ministry of Economy and Industry to evaluate the economic implications of joining Schengen.

“The way is clearing for funding the fence we are building on the Evros with European money,” said the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, in an interview with SKAI.