The European Commission on Wednesday urged member states to open the Schengen border-free area to Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia because it considers that they more than meet the criteria established for the entry of new members, so it is confident that the EU-27 will give their approval in December to the proposals that, in the case of Romania and Bulgaria, have been blocked for a decade.
«It is time to welcome them (…). Schengen is Europe, these three Member States deserve to feel fully European», defended the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johanson, at a press conference in Brussels to present the arguments of a communication adopted by the Community Executive to press for Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia.
The formal proposals for their entry into Schengen have been on the table of the EU-27 for some time, in the case of Romania and Bulgaria for eleven years, but the reservations of some countries have slowed down the process, which is now in its last phase and will be submitted to the EU Interior Ministers at their next meeting on December 8.
The plenary of the European Parliament, whose advisory opinion is part of the process, also endorsed in its last session in November that Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia should be part of Schengen. According to the procedures, the ministers will examine the entry of Bulgaria and Romania in a single decision and, in a second separate one, that of Croatia.
The Schengen entry decision needs the unanimous support of the European governments, so the reservations of the Netherlands regarding the situation in Romania and Bulgaria did not yet have the necessary consensus for a decision on which Sweden also raised doubts.
Asked about this, Johansson has warned that this week a mission of Dutch experts has been deployed so that they can verify first hand that the aspiring countries meet the criteria evaluated and has hoped that these efforts, together with the document presented on Wednesday, will serve to overcome the last obstacles.
«What we are doing (with this communication) is to facilitate that even the Netherlands has all the answers it needs to reach a conclusion and, hopefully, support the proposal,» said the socialist commissioner, who insisted that the Community Executive has no doubts but is willing to explain all the «data» that support its position before the Member States.
Brussels insists on the right of these three countries to be full members, «without additional conditions», while stressing that their entry would reinforce the security and strength of Schengen, because they will join the key procedures of the border-free area, including visa control, data protection, its connection to the Schengen Information System (SIS) and the exchange of information with other authorities.
According to the analysis that Brussels is now communicating to strengthen the applications, Bulgaria has put in place strong border management with efficient border surveillance and systematic controls.
In addition, the country has taken measures to combat cross-border crime with improved cooperation with international police, including Europol, and also has the necessary structures in place to ensure respect for fundamental rights, including access to international protection and respect for the principle of non-refoulement ‘in the heat of the moment’.
In the case of Romania, its border management is in the eyes of Brussels «solid and of high quality» because it complies with systematic controls, cooperates with international authorities and has among its priorities the fight against irregular migration and trafficking in human beings.
It has also correctly deployed the Schengen Information System and has effective structures in place to ensure access to international protection while respecting the principle of non-refoulement ‘in the heat of the moment’.
Brussels further warns that these two countries «successfully completed» the Schengen evaluation process already in 2011, despite which the Council has not taken any decision since then to «lift the internal borders».
