Law enforcement in Europe

On BNR, Maria Mincheva, the deputy chairwoman of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, emphasized the urgent need for a specific date for Bulgaria's Schengen accession, stating that clarity is essential for businesses. She pointed out that remaining outside of Schengen not only harms Bulgaria's reputation but also undermines investor confidence in the country.

Faced with the specter of reliving a situation reminiscent of 2015 - obviously not the same, but with some similar characteristics - when tens of thousands of immigrants and refugees were "stuck" on Greece's border with North Macedonia, Athens is in search of a strategy - and allies to strengthen its position and push it through - to respond to Berlin's recent decision to tighten controls on it

Germany has introduced temporary border controls to ensure safe, orderly, and legal entry into the country, a move that will not impact the visa issuance process for Turkish citizens, as confirmed by Germany's Embassy in Türkiye on Monday.

Germany will from Monday expand border controls to the frontiers with all nine of its neighbours to stop irregular migrants in a move that has sparked protests from other EU members.

Berlin announced the sweeping measure following a string of deadly extremist attacks that have stoked public fears and boosted support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Athens is determined to take a very tough stance toward Germany, especially after Berlin's recent decision to tighten controls on its western land borders, according to well-informed sources speaking to Kathimerini.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday that a German plan to impose tighter checks at its land borders amounted to unilaterally scrapping Europe's open-border Schengen zone and would burden frontline states such as Greece.

In a message directed towards Berlin where the German government has announced stricter controls at all German land borders, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has reiterated his position that Europe's answer to the migration problem cannot be the unilateral abolition of the Schengen agreement.

Germany announced plans this week to extend controls to all its land borders and turn away more asylum seekers in a bid to reduce irregular migration in a shift from its previous open-door policy.

The European Union is grappling with a sharp increase in both legal and illegal migration, leading several member states to implement temporary border checks, despite their participation in the Schengen area, which typically allows for free movement. The Schengen rules permit such measures only "as a last resort" in response to serious threats to internal security or public order.

Hungary has expressed strong support for the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, viewing it as a key national and European interest. Pál Zsigmond Barna, State Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of European Affairs, made this statement during a roundtable discussion in the Romanian city of Targu Mures, as reported by the Magyar Hirlap newspaper.