MEPs from Romania and Greece, as well as Bulgarian MP Daniel Lorer of Change Continues-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), have proposed scrapping land border controls between the three countries, CC said in a statement on January 25.

Bulgaria and Romania will become part of the air and sea Schengen area in March, but it is still unclear when the land borders will be lifted due to objections by Austria.

The politicians from the three countries have sent a joint letter to Greece’s Minister of Migration and Asylum Dimitris Karidis, asking him to propose the lifting of land borders between Bulgaria, Romania and Greece during a meeting of the EU’s ministers of justice and internal affairs on January 25.

In the letter, they say that representatives of Greece’s tourist industry require that in order to ease the access of visitors from Bulgaria and Romania. If the land border is lifted before the summer season, it would contribute significantly to Greece’s economic development as the country is the preferred destination for summer vacations among Bulgarians and Romanians.

Moreover, the land border checks bring losses to transport companies in terms of finances and time. The politicians also claim that lifting the borders would improve the environment in the border areas, which should contribute to EU’s goal of climate neutrality.

Previously, three aspiring EU members — Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia — created a mini Schengen zone in the Western Balkans, which has since been renamed Open Balkan. 

The letter to Karidis was announced on the day a survey carried out in Bulgaria by Gallup International Balkan showed that over 50% of Bulgarians would accept the country’s full accession in Schengen as significant success despite fears of increasing migration.

The country’s partial accession to Schengen will bring benefits to Bulgaria according to 30.3% of respondents, while 38.7% think it would neither benefit nor harm the country. Only 14.5% of respondents think partial accession to Schengen would harm the country.

On the other hand, full accession to Schengen is expected to bring benefits to the country by 50.6% of respondents, 21% think it would neither bring benefits nor harm and 13.7% believe it would harm the country’s interests.

However, if the price for full accession to Schengen would be the acceptance of more migrants, 56.3% would not support it versus just 24.6% supporting it and 19.1% undecided.

Gallup International Balkan noted that people with lower living standards, older people and those living in smaller villages, as well as those supporting opposition parties are more afraid of migrants.