The Council of the European Union, under the presidency of the Czech Republic, has set a timetable for taking decisions on the accession of Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania to the Schengen area. It was confirmed that the final vote would take place early next month.
According to a report published in the Romanian media, two European meetings will take place this month, and a decisive vote on this issue will take place on December 9 at the Council of Justice and Home Affairs.
Even though Bulgaria and Romania over the past ten years have fulfilled all the technical conditions to become new members of the Schengen area, the process has not yet been completed.
Recently, Dutch legislators introduced a new resolution urging the Dutch government not to take irreversible steps towards Bulgaria and Romania joining the Schengen until further investigations into border surveillance and reduction of corruption crimes in both Balkan countries are carried out.
However, last month members of the European Parliament urged EU countries to allow Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen area as soon as possible and end discrimination.
According to them, the Council should submit a new decision regarding the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area by the end of this year. This should ensure the abolition of checks on citizens at all internal borders of the two countries over the next year.
“The retention of internal border checks is discriminatory and has a major impact on the lives of mobile workers and citizens. By hindering the import, export, and free movement of goods from cargo ports, they harm the European Union’s single market,” MPs stressed in a recent report from the European Parliament.