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The Cypriote presidency: the topic of Romania’s and Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen, out from the JHA Council of 25 – 26 October
The topic of accession for Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area was taken out of the agenda of the JHA Council to take place on Thursday and Friday in Luxembourt, being postponed for the meeting of 6-7 December.Some member states expressed their preoccupation regarding the political evolutions of Romania and Bulgaria, so we asked all interested parties, including the governments in Bucharest and Sofia and we decided to postpone the discussion for the next reunion’ stated for Mediafax Nikos Christodoulides, the spokesperson of the Cypriote presidency of the EU Council. At the same time, he showed that at the December reunion,the topic won’t be only discussed but they will also try to get a decision regarding the accession of the two countries. “ We try to discuss about having a decision. There won’t be a formal decision” , Christodoulides said.
On the other hand, according to some official sources consulted by Mediafax, the Netherlands and Germany asked the postponement of the decision regarding the accession of the two countries to Schengen.
The examination of the accession requests for Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area was postponed for March 2013, due to uncertainties regarding the capacity of the authorities of those two countries to meet their commitments, diplomatic sources in Brussels said on Wednesday,AFP related.
The issue will be discussed on Thursday, during the reunion of the Home Affairs ministers in the EU in Luxembourg, but “ the time has not come for decisions” one of the sources said. The issue of accession “ will be discussed in March 2013,but this thing doesn’t mean a decision will be taken” one of the European diplomats insisted quoted by AFP. The ministerial reunions of the EU will be presided during the respective period by Ireland.
The Netherland announced that they will wait for the MCV report of December of the EC regarding Romania to re-analyse the position for the accession to the Schengen area of Romania and Bulgaria. According to a document sent in September by the Dutch government to the Parliament, the debates regarding the accession of the two countries to Schengen will be postponed for 2013, given the MCV report for Romania will be published at the end of this year.
That is why, several German officials, among whome the ambassador to Bucharest, Andreas von Mettenheim, showed that the decision regarding the accession will be taken after the presentation by the EU of the MCV report of December.
The Cypriote presidency of the EU Council annulled the reunion programmed for 19-20 September of the JHA Council lacking “ substantial topics” saying that the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen will be on the agenda of 25 – 26 October.
The state secretary in the MFA Bogdan Aurescu stated on 12 September that the postponement of the discussions for the reunion of 25-26 Octomber of the JHA Council does not mean that now there will be taken a decision regarding the accession, as there are member states who wait the conclusions of the supplementary report of MCV that the EC announced to present in December.