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EP adopts resolution on accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen area
In a plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday, the European Parliament adopted a motion for a resolution urging the member states to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen free-travel area without delay.
The resolution, adopted with 547 votes in favour, 49 votes against, and 43 abstaining, says that the European Council should adopt a decision on Romania's and Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen free movement area by the end of 2022. This should ensure the abolition of checks on persons at all internal borders for both countries in early 2023.
Noting that the Schengen area is "one of the greatest achievements of the European Union," MEPs criticise the European Council's failure to take a decision on admitting Bulgaria and Romania, even though the two countries have long since fulfilled the necessary conditions.
Maintaining internal border controls is discriminatory and has a serious impact on the lives of mobile workers and citizens, MEPs say. By obstructing imports, exports and the free flow of goods from freight ports, they also harm the EU single market.
The accession of new countries to Schengen requires a unanimous decision by the Council of the EU.
Currently, all EU member states except Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania are part of the Schengen area, which also encompasses non-EU states Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
MEPs have called for Bulgaria and Romania to be fully admitted into Schengen on multiple occasions, such as in a 2018 resolution on the topic, the 2020 resolution on the state of Schengen in the context of the pandemic, and a 2021 report on the functioning of the free travel area.
The Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union has announced, through the voice of the Minister of European Affairs Mikulas Bek, that it will seek unanimity at the European summit this December over the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area.
Vice-President of the European Commission for the promotion of our European Way of life Margaritis Schinas says that the two countries have long met the technical criteria for Schengen accession, as acknowledged in 2011.