15 years ago Bulgaria and Romania became members of the European Union and nine in the case of Croatia. Its citizens, however, cannot travel freely through the Schengen area of free movement. The European Comission has demanded this Wednesday that the Twenty-seven open the door definitively and allow the three countries, which have demonstrated that they comply with the conditions required in terms of procedures and management of external borders, to join one of the major EU achievements. “Schengen is Europe and these three Member States deserve to feel fully European”, said the Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva Johanssonwho recalled that the three “have waited too long.”
Commissioner Johansson is confident that the EU interior ministers take a decision – it needs to be approved unanimously – during the Tip scheduled for December 8. “It will be a truly European decision. Schengen has survived the turmoil of recent years and these challenges have been overcome thanks to a shared European spirit (…) Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia are ready to join”, he added about the free space largest circulation in the world involving 22 of the 27 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) plus four partner countries (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechstein).
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Although the three countries are already partly bound by the Schengen rules, internal border controls with these Member States have not been abolished which means that their citizens are still subject to border controls. Bulgaria and Romania successfully completed the evaluation process 11 years ago, but the reserves of some countries like the Netherlands have slowed down the process. Brussels has recalled this Wednesday in a communication that they meet all the requirements and that the time has come to definitively open the door to the space for free movement.
In the case of Bulgaria and Romania because they have implemented “a solid border management” with systematic controls. According to Brussels, Sofia has shown that she has the necessary structures to ensure respect for fundamental rights, guaranteeing access to international protection, respecting the principle of non-refoulement. As for Bucharest, it has effective structures to guarantee access to international protection, respecting the principle of non-refoulement. Finally, the Council confirmed in December last year that Zagreb fulfilled the conditions. The European Parliamentwhose opinion is of an advisory nature, has already given its approval in individual resolutions adopted by a large majority.