Border Crisis: Tourism Industry in Protest
The "Future for Tourism" association has signaled serious difficulties at border crossings. The reason is the introduced requirement for collecting biometric data (fingerprints) from third-country nationals, which is paralyzing traffic for Bulgarian citizens as well.
"Buses with Bulgarian tourists are waiting for hours at the border, and local authorities are fining drivers for exceeding working hours," explained Pavlina Ilieva, chairwoman of the association.
- The problem: Mixing of flows of European citizens and third-country nationals in common lanes.
- The consequences: Ruined excursions, missed overnight stays, and revoked driver's licenses due to tachographs.
- Lack of reaction: Despite alerts sent to the ministries, institutions have yet to take measures to establish "green corridors" for EU citizens.
The situation is becoming critical at the start of the active summer season, with tour operators already suffering serious financial losses from penalties and fines.