EP President Metsola: Blocking Bulgaria and Romania from Schengen will lead to increasing extremism in the EU

Blocking Bulgaria and Romania from Schengen will lead to the growth of extremism in the European Union, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said in Strasbourg on September 12.

"The growth of extremism should not be neglected but counteracted by showing that the EU matters.”

During a discussion with foreign journalists, she expressed her concern that decisions such as the one to block the accession of our country and Romania to the Schengen area risked multiplying "those who want to destroy Europe".

"The worst that could happen to the EU is the application of a decision, like the EU Council's of December 2022 against Romania's and Bulgaria's Schengen entry, to countries fighting in a war, after years of them waiting. How can Europe justify such a message before millions of people who consider Europe their only hope," she said.

She recalled that after Brexit, there was fear that ever more countries will wish to leave the EU, but no such statements are heard anymore because of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the way the EU approached the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that the Member States united in the purchase of energy, gas storage, diversification of energy sources, investment in renewable energy sources, and the Member States' recovery. Metsola added.

She called on the EU to be prepared for a restart and reform.

"It's not just about discussing the common agricultural policy or abolishing the unanimity principle in foreign policy or how many commissioners each country will have. It is about understanding the political necessity, about realising that a bigger Europe is stronger and safer in both political and economic terms, the EP President argued.