Schengen Entry How Bulgaria’s partial affects AUBG and its students Mar. 13, 2024 O n Dec. 30, 2023, the European Council offi cially announced the partial inclusion of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area starting from March 31, 2024. Th is applies to the two countries’ borders by air and water. On the AUBG scale, students who are not from EU member states will be the biggest benefactors from this change. Political Science and European Studies Professor Magdalena Bernaciak commented on the impact that this decision will have on Bulgaria. She emphasized the fact that the opened channels will be used mainly by people and not for transport purposes. Citing Bulgaria’s International Road Hauliers’ Association, Bernaciak said that “8% of all transport operations take place by sea and by air, the channels that are opened.” Th e other 92% of traffi c will still be controlled and potentially delayed which does not benefi t the economy in any way. “When it comes to the human side of it [partial entry], it defi nitely makes things easier,” Prof. Bernaciak said. She pointed out how this change will signifi cantly help international students as there will be no need to obtain an additional Schengen visa. 4 Spring 2024 | AUBG Daily When asked whether Bulgaria’s land borders will also be included in the Schengen area, she highlighted the dependence on Austria’s political situation as it was the last country to oppose the partial entry. “Odds for Austria at the moment are extremely pessimistic when it comes to who can be the winner of these elections,” Prof. Bernaciak stated. She added that the most likely winners are the far-right party which is populist right-wing oriented and would probably not allow Bulgaria’s land borders entry into Schengen. Dean Sabina Wien shared that she hopes AUBG international students “can benefi t the most, can get the most privileges, if not equal privileges, as Bulgarian nationals.” When asked whether the Schengen entry will make more students willing to come to AUBG, she said that more interest is defi nitely expected. Dean Wien added that this will certainly be utilized by the Marketing offi ce to promote the university. She mentioned the organized trips to Greece by the International Offi ce as an example of a case when certain AUBG students could not participate exactly because of their non-EU nationality. Dean Wien said that “we are possibly more ready than ever” to join Schengen and Bulgaria has to keep gaining even more trust. She continued by saying that AUBG’s diversity in terms of nationality will benefi t from this change, and she hopes this applies to cultures and ethnicities as well. Dean Wien fi nished with the words: “I will defi - nitely celebrate,” meaning Bulgaria’s partial inclusion in the Schengen area. Ngan Th an Ho, an AUBG senior from Vietnam, is very satisfi ed with the changes. “Now, with the partial entry, I can at least go by plane or boat to other European countries without a visa,” she said. Ngan shared that the expensive visa fee and time-consuming document preparation will not be necessary for her anymore. When asked whether a potential inclusion of Bulgaria’s land borders in Schengen would aff ect her, the Vietnamese student said that she mostly travels by plane and it does not matter whether this happens or not. Ngan stated that the change will potentially attract more Asian students as they will be able to travel to more countries. She also mentioned
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