Bulgaria is to invite customs officers from Germany, Austria and the Netherlands to monitor and reinforce the protection of the EU’s external border with Turkey.

During meetings in Brussels with the federal chancellors of Germany Olaf Scholz and of Austria Karl Nehammer, and with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov invited foreign experts. Negotiations on including German customs officers at the Bulgaria-Turkey border were held during the previous regular government with PM Kiril Petkov but they were discontinued during the caretaker cabinets in Bulgaria.

“We need expertise and direct assistance in handling the enormous amounts of cargo traversing Bulgaria, especially since the start of the war in Ukraine,” PM Denkov said. “This will address the trust issues our partners have with Bulgaria. We have also been working with Europol on a European coordination centre, based in Bulgaria, to combat human trafficking,” the Bulgarian prime minister said.