Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov from Bulgaria's Border Police addressed recent developments regarding Bulgaria's Schengen entry and the evolving migrant situation in Europe.

"We haven't received a 'no' for land borders; we see it as partial acceptance in Schengen—a significant step forward," stated Zlatanov during an interview with BNT. He emphasized the ongoing efforts to hasten land border entry into Schengen, highlighting Austria's decision as a political move.

Zlatanov confirmed that preparations are underway at airports following Bulgaria's status change, meeting all current requirements set by Austria.

"Our focus is on reinforcing operations along the Bulgarian-Turkish and Bulgarian-Serbian borders, with additional forces deployed from Frontex," highlighted Chief Commissioner Zlatanov. He emphasized that Austria, as a member state, cannot unilaterally dictate Frontex deployments to Bulgaria.

Despite concerns, Zlatanov noted that migrant pressures remain low. "In Austria, unregistered illegal migrants decreased from 123,000 to 46,000. Their target is around 90,000," he added. He also shed light on the migrant routes, clarifying that the primary migration issue in Western Europe lies in the Central European sea routes via Greece and Italy, with about 70% of migrants passing through.