Ministry of Interior

Heavy traffic is expected across Bulgaria on the last working day of the week as thousands of people begin their travels for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays. The busiest routes are anticipated to be the exits of major cities and highways, particularly with the influx of travelers leaving Sofia and returning at the end of the holiday season.

An accident this morning caused a disruption to train services between Sofia and Plovdiv. At approximately 8:00 AM, a passenger train collided with a car that had crossed at lowered barriers near the Verila stop, located between Kazichene and Elin Pelin. The impact sent the car tumbling into the stop.

Police officers and prison staff in Bulgaria are once again on alert for protests. The Management Board of the Trade Union Federation of Ministry of Interior Employees expressed their frustration with what they described as an unprovoked and harsh attack against them. This relates to the salary increases approved by parliament and included in the 2025 national budget.

Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area by land will not result in the country becoming a migrant buffer, Acting Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov stated during a briefing following the EU Council's final decision. Ilkov described the event as a historic achievement for Bulgaria, marking December 12, 2024, as a significant date for Bulgarian citizens, businesses, and institutions.

Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov expressed immense pride and emotion as Bulgaria was officially accepted as a full member of the Schengen Area, with land border controls set to be abolished starting January 1, 2025.

A significant arsenal of illegal weapons and ammunition was uncovered in Bulgaria during a specialized operation led by the Directorate for the Prevention of Organized Crime and the Counterterrorism Department (GDBOP). This discovery marks the largest such find in the country's history, according to the Ministry of Interior.

The Ministry of Interior announced an increase in security measures ahead of the upcoming holiday season, focusing on the student celebrations on December 8, as well as the Christmas and New Year holidays. Law enforcement presence will be heightened in shopping centers and Christmas markets to deter serious criminal activity and ensure public safety.

Many unsuspecting property owners discover, often by chance, that even after disconnecting electricity to a property, municipalities continue to charge them municipal fees and impose fines.

Following Bulgaria's entry into the Schengen area's land borders, border checkpoints will remain operational, but movement across borders will become more streamlined, according to the Ministry of Interior.

It was not only former New Democracy MEP Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou who, ahead of the European elections last June, sent mass emails to Greek expatriates after a data leak from the Ministry of Interior’s emigrants’ registry.