MEPs call on the Council to approve the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen

MEPs from the EP Committee on Petitions call on the Council to approve the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area by the end of 2023. Members of the committee voted today, on June 27, on a resolution which was adopted by 25 votes in favour, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions. According to MEPs, both countries have already fulfilled the necessary conditions for accession.

The MEPs regret the Council decision of 8 December 2022, which rejected the accession of the two countries "without any legal justification being presented relating to the accession criteria". A larger Schengen area without border controls would make the EU stronger, MEPs argue.

The fact that Romania and Bulgaria are still outside the visa-free travel area, represents an important social and economic burden for the businesses and populations of both countries, MEPs say. Citizens of Bulgaria and Romania are discriminated because they face delays, bureaucratic difficulties and additional costs when travelling or doing business abroad compared to their colleagues in the Schengen area, the text says.

Noting waiting times at border crossings, MEPs say that delays faced by Romanians and Bulgarians can last from several hours to even days - compared to the 10 minutes without internal border controls - which also worsens working conditions for truck drivers.

In addition to the damage caused to the EU single market by impeding the free flow of goods between European Member States, the text points to the 'irreparable damage' to the environment, which is not in line with the Union's climate neutrality objectives. There is a risk for the health of motorists, customs officials and people living near border crossings because of the increased pollution from the many thousands of vehicles waiting to cross the border every day, such as around. 46 000 tonnes of CO₂ are emitted every year, MEPs say.

The resolution calls on the Commission to assess the environmental damage that Romania and Bulgaria have suffered since June 2011 due to the 'unjustified refusal' of Schengen membership and encourages this institution to analyse the possibilities for financial compensation. MEPs point out that the current situation "is instrumentalised by anti-European propaganda, including Russian propaganda" and "undermines the EU's capacity to promote its values and good governance in third countries".

Currently, all EU Member States except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania are part of the Schengen free travel area, which also includes non-EU countries Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The European Commission has assessed that Bulgaria and Romania are ready to join Schengen and the European Parliament has repeatedly supported their accession, most recently in a resolution of 5 October 2022 and a debate of 14 December 2022. Parliament's plenary will then vote on this resolution, scheduled for the 10-13 July plenary sitting.