"Have indications that border officials are involved in smuggling"

Bulgaria will elect a new parliament on Sunday for the fourth time in two years. Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Demerdhziev has been in office for an interim government since August. He is a trained lawyer and worked as a lawyer for more than 20 years before moving into politics.

WORLD: Mr. Interior Minister, at the EU's external border with Turkey, the number of migrants is increasing sharply. Is Europe already in the middle of a new crisis?

Ivan Demerdhziev: In fact, the migratory pressure has increased four to five times. Citizens from Syria and Afghanistan in particular, and now more and more women and children, are trying to cross the border illegally. This year we have already prevented more than 110,000 transfers. The number is likely to increase further in October. When I took office in August, I immediately drove to the border to initiate the necessary measures. We cannot speak of a migration crisis because the border is now much better protected.

WORLD: Again and again people are picked up in Bulgaria who have entered the country illegally, many want to go to other EU countries. In the summer, a bus carrying migrants even rammed a checkpoint, killing two police officers. How do you intend to get the situation under control?

Demerdhziev: We have repaired some weak points in the fence along the 270-kilometer border and are updating the security technology, for example with motion sensors. Where necessary, we deploy soldiers. Helicopters and drones fly over the area daily. We have asked the European Commission for technical assistance and are working closely with Frontex and Europol. In addition, our authorities have uncovered numerous groups that had supported smugglers from Bulgaria. They were mostly foreign citizens, from North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine and even Italy. In the meantime, smugglers have found it much more difficult to recruit their helpers in Bulgaria.

WORLD: What does Europe have to do to help the people fleeing?

Demerdhziev: We accommodate apprehended migrants in collective accommodation. We prevent secondary migration to other Member States. I think this is the right way. I am in close contact with the governments of neighboring countries, especially since migrants also come to us from Turkey and Greece. We have strengthened cooperation with Greece to protect the external border. Turkey is also controlling more strictly on its side. We agree that a secure border is the right way to act as a deterrent, but we would like more support and a unified migration strategy from the European Union.

WORLD: Corruption is considered a problem for security at the EU's external border with Turkey. Police officers are also said to have cooperated with smugglers.

Demerdhziev: Yes, we have indications that a few border guards were involved in the logistics of smuggling. Our Internal Security Directorate is working intensively on these cases. Employees have already been suspended and disciplinary proceedings initiated. In addition, a team at the border takes care of security as well as the integrity of the staff there. As soon as we have clues, the search for clues begins and we hand over the results to the public prosecutor's office.

WORLD: According to revelations, the control of food coming to Bulgaria via Turkey was in the hands of private and criminal structures for years. Apparently, fruit and vegetables contaminated with pesticides also reached the EU in this way. What are you doing about it?

Demerdhziev: At the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing there was a conflict between private and state control of the goods, which escalated at the beginning of my term in office. I had to send police officers to establish public order. But the situation is now clearly regulated: the analyzes of the goods are carried out exclusively by the Bulgarian state. I was assured that all standards will be met.

WORLD: As an independent expert, you are currently part of a transitional government. Obviously, however, corrupt structures were able to develop well under Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's long term in office. How do you prevent such networks from regaining power after the October 2 elections?

Demerdhziev: We have taken legal steps to solve the problem in the long term. Specifically, for the region around the border, we want it to be part of a list of areas of special national security concern that are under strict control. We are currently examining how this decision will remain binding on subsequent governments. Our goal is also to find evidence of past corruption practices. If we're successful in our investigations, that will be an important part of prevention.

WORLD: According to Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who was voted out of office in the summer and who campaigned against corruption during his seven-month term in office, the Bulgarian public prosecutor's office is not investigating independently. Do you share this view?

Demerdhziev: Looking back, Kiril Petkow's statement was correct. But today we are in a different situation. The abolition of the specialized public prosecutor's office and the specialized court took away the monopoly on the investigation by the Attorney General. We are now working with the local prosecutors. As a result, cooperation with the local police is closer and no cases are covered up. This is very popular in society, there is a great need for a functioning judiciary. I think that by the end of the year a great many criminal cases will begin. This is significant progress.

WORLD: Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently spoke out in favor of quickly admitting Bulgaria to the Schengen area. People and goods would then reach other EU countries without further controls. Has the time come for this yet?

Demerdhziev: First of all I would like to say that we are very grateful for this position of the German Chancellor. We are very motivated to prove to all other Member States that we are ready to take this step. Although we already formally meet all the criteria, we have agreed to a further review together with Romania. We have received many positive signals on this at EU level.

WORLD: Russian influence on Bulgaria is also an issue. During the construction of the "Balkan Stream" pipeline, which routes gas from Russia past the Ukraine to Hungary, the government is said to have massively violated conditions. Did Moscow then steer the government in Sofia in this direction?

Demerdhziev: The project was completed in 2021, it is not related to our government. But one thing is clear: this pipeline is not in Bulgaria's interest. We have ensured that our interconnector to Greece will be operational on October 1st. Then we get gas from Azerbaijan. It is imperative that we diversify our sources in this situation.

WORLD: In view of the mobilization in Ukraine announced by Putin, are you also concerned about the security of your country?

Demerdhziev: Even if we don't currently see any danger that the war will affect our territory, we are concerned. For example, about protecting critical infrastructure like our nuclear power plant. In addition, our country lies on the Black Sea, which Russia could further seal off. We have to be prepared for anything.