Bulgaria Will Have to Wait More for Schengen Accession - Austrian Ambassador

With the Schengen borderless area going through "a challenge", it is not the right moment for Bulgaria to insist on joining, Austria's Ambassador to the country, Roland Hauser, has said.

He has told the Bulgarian National Radio that the EU Commission is considering changes to the Schengen agreement which will "certainly" be substantial, and Sofia should seek membership when the new framework is ready.

This comes as Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva has repeatedly suggested the country should get access to the Schengen database to be more efficient in border protection.

Schengen membership has been in limbo for Bulgaria over the past 8 years, with the final date constantly postponed by other member states some of which argue the country is to fulfill a number of political or technical criteria (some countries, like the Netherlands, have been staunch opponents of Bulgaria's accession).

The ambassador asserted that a viable solution to the migrant crisis requires the setting up of migrant hotspots and a bolstered control of the EU's external borders.

Bulgaria's government argues it has enforced border security at its joint frontier with Turkey.

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