The bloc excludes Romania and Bulgaria due to the veto of Austria and the Netherlands, a decision the European Commission describes as “disappointing”
The interior ministers of the European Union (EU) on Thursday approved Croatia’s accession to the area without Schengen borders. However, in the same vote they left out Romania and Bulgaria, vetoed by Austria and the Netherlands, a decision the European Commission described as “disappointing”.
Once the resolution was known, the Commissioner of the Interior, Ylva Johansson, assured that Romania and Bulgaria “deserve to be full members of Schengen”, as the two countries have met all European requirements. Already at the start of the ministerial meeting, the Commissioner for Migration, Margaritis Schinas, considered the “political” concerns of the two countries “unfair”. “Schengen expansion means more and better controls, not less,” he added. The Czech Presidency of the European Council and the Commission assured that the accession of both states to the area of free movement will be “a priority”.
Croatia, for its part, will become member number 27 of the Schengen area in January, which includes most of the EU countries, as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Only Bulgaria, Romania, Ireland and Cyprus do not yet belong to this group. In practical terms, Croatia’s accession means that its citizens can live, work and move around EU countries without internal border controls.
Source: La Verdad
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