Dhe EU Commission called on the member states on Wednesday to immediately admit Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia to the Schengen area. The three states had “strongly demonstrated” that they met the necessary conditions, said the responsible Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson in Brussels. “They have established the tools, structures and procedures to control the external borders, also with regard to security risks.” The incumbent Czech Council Presidency wants to bring about a decision at the next meeting of interior ministers on December 8th. This requires unanimity; however, the Netherlands and Sweden continue to express reservations.
So far, 22 of the 27 EU member states and four other associated members (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein) belong to the Schengen area. With a population of 420 million, it is the largest zone in the world where people can move from one country to another without border controls. In order to join the Schengen area, states must meet a fixed catalog of conditions. This includes being able to effectively protect the external border, working together with the security bodies of other countries, being connected to common databases, issuing uniform visas and respecting human rights.
The Netherlands and Sweden still want to check
The EU Commission had already confirmed this for Bulgaria and Romania in 2011. The Council of Member States recognized this, but did not accept the countries. In fact, there were numerous indications of rampant corruption, for example at the Kapitan Andreevo crossing between Bulgaria and Turkey, which was controlled by mafia networks. Last month, Sofia and Bucharest invited experts from other EU countries to visit them to document their preparations for accession. The delegation, which included 17 countries, confirmed that both countries had met the requirements and had made substantial additional efforts compared to 2011. Nevertheless, four weeks ago the Dutch parliament asked its government to veto the accession of both countries. The reason given is that more time is needed for an assessment. Johansson’s home country Sweden is not yet convinced either.
On the other hand, at the end of last year, the Council confirmed that Croatia met all the criteria. Zagreb was the first EU country to create an independent mechanism to monitor human rights at the border. Previously, there had been repeated reports of serious violations at the border with Bosnia-Hercegovina, through which some of the irregular migration flows entered the EU. The mechanism was renewed and tightened in early November, as Johansson pointed out. “I expect Member States to take this important, historic, positive decision,” said the Commissioner.
