Vote postponed on Bulgaria’s admission to Schengen, Minister remains optimistic

EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers meeting in Brussels discussed the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Shengen on December 5.

Minister Kalin Stoyanov said in Brussels that he expects a change in the position of Austria and the Netherlands on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen by the end of this year. The issue of Schengen was on the agenda of the meeting, but no vote for the two countries was foreseen.

Ministers of Interior started their meeting in Brussels with a debate on how the Schengen area is functioning against the backdrop of increased migratory pressure on Europe and the border checks introduced by some countries. Vienna continues to push for Schengen reform first and then for the admission of Bulgaria and Romania.

"My position on Schengen is clear and I will repeat it again - Schengen needs to become better functioning, not bigger. At the moment I do not see any progress to change my position", said Gerhard Karner, Austria's Minister of Interior.

Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson informed ministers that the mission in Bulgaria was very successful. She expects a positive decision by the end of December.

Despite Austria's position, after talks with his counterpart from the Netherlands, minister Kalin Stoyanov reiterated several times that he was optimistic for a favourable development by the end of the year.

"I am optimistic from the meetings I had today, it was not only with the Dutch counterpart. We have to make it clear that in the coming days and weeks there are going to be very active talks on whether Bulgaria will be accepted into Schengen. But once again, I am optimistic", said Kalin Stoyanov, Minister of Interior.

BNT: What did your Dutch colleague tell you?

Kalin Stoyanov - Minister of the Interior: My Dutch counterpart reported on the progress we have made in the last few months and stated categorically that they will need some time to analyse the report and make their decision. After the meeting, the Dutch interior minister commented that he was neither optimistic nor pessimistic.

"We said that we will look at all the information we received from the European Commission. I repeat again that Bulgaria must take steps regarding the rule of law and human rights, there must be not only solutions but also implementation of these solutions. I have not yet seen the results of the new mission in Bulgaria, I am waiting for the Commission's report", said Erik Van Der Burgh, Minister of the Interior of the Netherlands.

If Bulgaria and Romania manage to convince the Netherlands and Austria to change their positions, Spain, which holds the EU Council presidency, is ready to convene an extraordinary meeting of Interior Ministers or put the issue to a vote through a written procedure.