Bulgaria to Maintain Visa Regime With Macedonia

Although the number of Macedonians entering Bulgaria has fallen recently, its consul in Skopje, Vencislav Cvetanov, told local media on Wednesday that Bulgaria does not plan to abolish the visa regime it imposed in January when it joined the European Union.

In an interview published in local Dnevnik daily, Cvetanov said the issue of visas was more “a problem for Macedonia to decide” and that “if Macedonia improves the border control… and talks things through with the European Union, things may be different”.

Since the beginning of the year, Bulgaria has issued 50,000 visas for Macedonian citizens - between 300 to 700 visas per day.

The visa regime imposed by Bulgaria on non-EU neighbours hit the inhabitants of the 14 Macedonian municipalities on the eastern border hardest.

However, Bulgaria has already eased the procedures for these people. They need only to prove they have been living there for six months, and have an invitation from a Bulgarian national, in order to enter the country.