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Description
The project aims to support cooperation within the Schengen area. It will support the development and the future introduction of compensatory measures in the border area of the future internal borders. It also aims to improve bilateral cooperation in the field of internal border management and facilitate the introduction of compensatory measures related to border surveillance after the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Schengen area. After the Bulgarian-Turkish border the Bulgarian-Greek border is the most vulnerable and active in terms of illegal crossings. There is a trend of increased migratory pressure at the Bulgarian-Greek border at the expense of a reduced pressure at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. Since the beginning of 2018 the situation at the border with Greece is characterized as quite intense. This situation is an outcome of the increased security measures applied along the Bulgarian-Turkish border and the significant increase in the number of migrants in Greece as a result of the increase in cases of illegal crossing by sea from Turkey to the Greek islands. Analysis of the situation at the borders shows a clear tendency for the Bulgarian-Romanian border being second after the Bulgarian-Serbian as the most vulnerable to illegal exits of third-country nationals. While control at the Bulgarian-Serbian border, which is external border to EU, receives significant national and EU support, the control and surveillance along the Bulgarian-Romanian border relies solely on national investments in infrastructure and development of the bilateral cooperation in terms of exchange of information, support of the joint Bulgarian-Romanian contact center, and joint trans-border surveillance and pursuit activities.
In this regard, support measures that will facilitate the effective border control at the internal borders at whic