Relationship dossier
Austria
Bulgaria
Relationship assessment
EU partners with cooperation on Schengen accession alongside a dispute over migration and border controls
Austria toward Bulgaria
-5Austria opposed Bulgaria’s Schengen accession in 2022, citing concerns including irregular migration. In 2024, Austria agreed to Bulgaria’s entry for air and sea borders following negotiations on border and migration measures.
Bulgaria toward Austria
+15Bulgaria negotiated with Austria on border and migration measures in connection with its 2024 entry into the Schengen area for air and sea borders.
Overall relationship
+15EU membership provides a durable framework for cooperation, while the Schengen dispute exposed a consequential disagreement over migration and border controls. Austria’s later agreement to partial accession following negotiations indicates that the dispute did not prevent a negotiated arrangement.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Austria and Bulgaria cooperate as EU members, but their relationship has included a significant dispute over Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. Austria blocked full accession in 2022, citing concerns including irregular migration, then agreed to Bulgaria’s entry for air and sea borders in 2024 after negotiations on border and migration measures. These developments show both practical cooperation and a notable, though partially resolved, disagreement.
Areas of tension
- Austria’s opposition to Bulgaria’s Schengen accession, linked in part to concerns about irregular migration and border controls.
Key developments
Austria opposed Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area.
Austria agreed to Bulgaria’s Schengen entry for air and sea borders following negotiations on border and migration measures.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the border and migration measures agreed alongside Bulgaria’s partial Schengen accession are unclear.
- The breadth of other direct bilateral cooperation is unclear.