The new assessment, made during the European Commission's inspection in Bulgaria and Romania on the application of the Schengen rules recently, showed that both countries are more than ready to join the European free-travel area. This is what a spokesperson for the European Commission told a press conference Thursday in response to a question.
“The Commission considers that Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia have fulfilled all the necessary conditions to join. There was a voluntary fact-finding visit to Romania and Bulgaria, which was organized and coordinated by the Commission, with experts from the Commission, but also member states. This mission has confirmed that Romania and Bulgaria are more than ready to join. The results are overwhelmingly positive, and not a single issue was identified which would justify any further delay,” the EC spokesperson said.
She added that all the member states have acknowledged the huge achievements of Bulgaria and Romania in their continued strong application of the Schengen rules, and the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU will now swiftly take this matter forward.
The EU Council's Working Party for Schengen Matters examined these conclusions Wednesday in a closed meeting. As BTA reported, the Czech Presidency intends to put the issue to a vote at a meeting of the EU Council on December 8. Unanimity is needed for a positive decision.
The BTA correspondent in Brussels Nikolay Jeliazkov contributed to this story
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