Following the announcement made by President Juncker at the press conference after the Informal Meeting of the EU 27 Heads of State or Government in Bratislava on 16 September as well as on-going contacts with the Bulgarian authorities over the past months, the European Commission fast-tracked requests for funding received from the Bulgarian authorities on Thursday evening and on Friday decided to award €108 million in emergency funding. The funding will be used to strengthen the management of migration flows and strengthen border surveillance and border control activities.
Welcoming this decision, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “From the very beginning already, the Commission has been supporting all Member States to manage the refugee crisis – and Bulgaria is no exception. Bulgaria’s efforts and commitments to ensure an efficient management of its external EU border are essential. The fast tracking of the requests received last night from the Bulgarian authorities shows that we are fully committed to providing additional assistance when justified and that Bulgaria, as a frontline Member State guarding our external borders, receives our full support in doing so. This once again proves that the external border of one Member State is the external border of all Member States.”
The funding will be used to strengthen the management of migration flows, increase reception capacities and the capacities of the asylum service as well as strengthen border surveillance and border control activities.
