site.btaBulgaria's Schengen Accession Is a Diplomacy Task for the Government: MEP Radan Kanev

Bulgaria's entry into Schengen is entirely a diplomacy task for the Bulgarian government, MEP Radan Kanev told journalists in Strasbourg. 

"It is high time that the Bulgarian government communicated clearly to the media and citizens that the European Parliament has no say in Bulgaria's Schengen membership," he said.

"The European Parliament has said dozens of times that it supports Bulgaria for Schengen. What cannot be overcome is the resistance of some European governments," Kanev said. In his words, the Bulgarian government must first convince its European partners that "the corruption in Bulgaria, which is a fact, does not hinder our ability to protect our border".

According to him, the main reason for the resistance of some countries against Bulgaria's accession to Schengen is the fact that Europe is under increased migrant pressure. This increases internal tensions in societies and the politicians in power must respond to this.

Asked whether Romania could be admitted without Bulgaria to Schengen, Kanev said this was a risk that could not be ruled out. In his view, such a scenario for Bulgaria would be a strategic nightmare which must be prevented at all costs, but this country is hardly making any European policy at the government level. 

Kanev commented that the ongoing political crisis in Bulgaria could also compromise the efforts for this country's entry into the eurozone. "My forecast is that if Bulgaria does not solve its political crisis, it will not enter the Eurozone in 2024," Radan Kanev said.