The Commission of the European Union has said that Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania are ready to become full members of the Schengen Area and has called upon the Council to take a decision on the matter without any further delay.
In a press release the Commission said that Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia have done their part for the well-functioning of the Schengen Area for years and it highlighted that permitting them to become part of the Schengen is a long-awaited decision.
“Becoming fully part of the Schengen area is a requirement for these Member States and they should therefore be permitted to do so given that they fulfil the conditions,” the statement of the Commission reads.
According to the Commission, an enlarged Schengen Area without internal border controls in place would make Europe safer, more prosperous, as well as more attractive.
The Commission points out that Bulgaria has in place strong border management, which allows the country to effectively control its borders. Bulgaria has also prioritised the fight against cross-border crime through international cooperation and has a well-established Schengen Information System.
Furthermore, the Commission stressed that Bulgaria has also displayed that it has the right structures in place to guarantee access to international protection, and respect for fundamental rights, among others.
As for Romania, the Commission said that the country has strong and high-quality border management. Moreover, the Commission emphasised that similar to Bulgaria, Romania has also prioritised the fight against illegal migration and the trafficking of human beings. The Schengen Information System is also well-established in Romania.
Both Bulgaria and Romania have successfully completed the evaluation process for accession to the Schengen in 2021. However, no decision on pushing the external Schengen borders beyond the borders of these three countries has been taken in the last 11 years, despite the two countries proving of having implemented the Schengen rules as required by the Borders Code ever since they started their journey towards Schengen accession.
The Members of the European Union Parliament have already urged the EU Member States to end discrimination and permit Bulgaria and Romania to join Schengen. Last month, MEPs called on the EU once again to adopt a new decision for Bulgaria and Croatia by the end of this year.
As for Croatia, the Council confirmed in December 2021 that the country had fulfilled all the required conditions to join the Schengen Area. The Commission emphasised that Croatia has made significant efforts to ensure that the external border controls comply with the fundamental rights obligations.
Croatia has also set up an Independent Monitoring Mechanism, becoming the first EU Member State to put in place such a mechanism.
Apart from supporting the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, MEPs have also supported Croatia’s accession to the Schengen zone. Last week, with 534 votes in favour, MEPs endorsed the lifting of the internal border checks between Croatia and the Schengen free-movement area.
MEPs said that Croatia has fulfilled all the required conditions to become a member and urged the Council to process as well as adopt a final decision on the matter by the end of 2022, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
