Italy wants Bulgaria to be admitted to the passport-free Schengen zone, foreign minister Antonio Tajani told his Bulgarian counterpart Mariya Gabriel during a meeting of the conservative European People's Party.
"Today in Brussels during the meeting with EPP leaders, I reiterated to Mariya Gabriel the Italian government's support for Bulgaria's entry into the Schengen area," Tajani wrote on X.
"We are work to make the EU's external border more secure, including in combating irregular migrant trafficking," the tweet added.
Bulgaria and Romania were kept out of Schengen late last year due to Austrian opposition over concerns they were a pathway for illegal migrants into Europe - claims both countries deny.
Currently, all European Union member states except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania are part of the 27-nation Schengen area, which also includes non-EU states Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
