Bulgaria and Romania, on the other hand, will remain outside this area, as they have not achieved the necessary unanimity among EU interior ministers to be part of this area of free movement of persons.
Euskaraz irakurri: Schengen Eremua Kroaziara ere helduko da, urtarrilaren 1etik aurrera
The interior ministers of the European Union (EU) announced this on Thursday green light for the extension of the Schengen zone to Croatia from 1 January next, while Bulgaria and Romania, on the other hand, remain outside this spacesince they have not achieved the necessary consensus to be part of that area of free movement of persons.
In an appearance to the press, Vít Rakusan, Interior Minister of the Czech Republic, the country holding the EU presidency this semester, conveyed his “huge congratulations to Croatia, a new member of Schengen”, whose creation is a “useful message for all European citizens”.
“From my point of view, Bulgaria and Romania are ready to join Schengen and I thank these two countries for the work they have done over the past year. I am convinced that their time will come soon,” added Rakusan, who has was delighted in spite of everything, as the achievement of enlargement was one of the “highest” priorities that the Czech Presidency set itself during its semester at the helm of the European Union.
Blockade of Austria and the Netherlands
The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Sweden’s Ylva Johansson, whose country inherits the responsibility to bring the enlargement to Bulgaria and Romania to a successful conclusion, made no secret of her “disappointment” blockade of these countries by Austria and the Netherlandswho only vetoed the first one.
The “some doubts” that remain about the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area, by Austria and the Netherlands, are “political”, the vice-president of the community, Margaritis Schinas, had declared this morning on arrival at the meeting: “We are stronger, not weaker, due to the Schengen enlargement, which means more and better controls, not less, so I hope common sense and an open mind prevail, and we can make the decision, if not today, in a few days, “Schinas said.
Austria had reiterated its determination to veto Romania’s and Bulgaria’s accession to that area of free movement of persons and goods, given the increase in immigration this year. The Netherlands had also expressed its refusal to admit Bulgaria into the Schengen area, which currently consists of 22 EU countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Croatia and Romania are not taken into account) and four from outside the EU (Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland).
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Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
