Bulgaria 'hostage' to Schengen Area debate, says prime minister

The Eastern European country was blocked from joining the passport-free zone at the start of the year.

Transcript

00:00 Bulgaria`s Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov tells Euronews that he feels his country is a hostage

00:07 to the debate over Schengen enlargement.

00:10 Denkov spoke to MEPs in the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week about his vision for

00:16 Europe.

00:17 He says Bulgaria has fulfilled all the EU`s criteria towards joining the Schengen zone.

00:24 When I met the Chancellor Nehammer in Austria, he was very clear that he has no any problems

00:31 with Bulgaria and Romania per se today.

00:34 His problem is how the Schengen area is working in general.

00:38 So this is more like a discussion between Austria and the European Union rather than

00:44 between Bulgaria and Austria.

00:46 Of course, we are the victims of this situation.

00:49 As I said today, I feel a little bit as a hostage of this situation.

00:53 I hope that there will be a positive development in December.

00:58 The prime minister also rejects criticism from Hungary and Serbia after Bulgaria announced

01:03 plans to tax the transfer of Russian gas through its territory.

01:07 Both receivers of it, Budapest and Belgrade, fear that the measure will lead to higher

01:11 fuel prices for their citizens.

01:14 But the prime minister of Bulgaria says the law is not directed at them.

01:20 The way this tax is implemented does not put any requirements for payments from the receiving

01:28 countries like Hungary or the other countries.

01:32 It is defined in such a way that it should be paid by Gazprom.

01:37 And I had discussions with the Hungarian prime minister, Orban, with the Serbian prime minister,

01:45 and I told them this is not against your citizens.

01:48 We don`t want to hurt them in any way.

01:51 What we want is to take some of the profit of the Russian war machine because it`s fueled

01:56 by Gazprom literally in some way.

01:59 Bulgaria has previously blocked North Macedonia`s EU membership talks over concerns of the rights

02:04 of national minorities.

02:07 The deal was reached on the issue last year, though, and Sofia has no further demands towards

02:12 North Macedonia.

02:13 No, we have no further demands.

02:16 There is a very clear decision from the last year, 2022.

02:21 It is between North Macedonia and the European Union, actually.

02:25 So, this is a matter of negotiations with them, not with Bulgaria today.

02:31 And we have no further requirements.

02:33 What we expect is this agreement to be fulfilled by the side of North Macedonia as it is expected.

02:42 The Western Balkans entering the EU is in Bulgaria`s interest politically and economically,

02:47 but the prime minister warns that new countries must be true members of the union once they

02:51 join.

02:51 Thank you.

02:58 (whooshing)