Bulgaria, Romania Await Finland Nay-Sayer to Schengen Hopes

Finnish Minister of Immigration and European Affairs Astrid Thors (L) and French European affairs Minister Pierre Lellouche (R) at the start of a General affairs council in Luxembourg, 25 October 2010. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Finland's minister of immigration and European affairs, who opposed last month Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the Schengen zone, will pay a visit to the two countries next week.

Astrid Thors will visit Bucharest on 6-7 February and Sofia on 7-8 February, the Finnish government announced.

In Bucharest, Minister Thors will meet the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi, and Minister of Administration and Interior Traian Iga?.

In Sofia, Minister Thors will confer with Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nickolay Mladenov.

In both countries, discussions will focus on Roma issues, enlargement of the Schengen area and other key EU affairs. In Bucharest, Minister Thors will also visit a Roma school and, in Sofia, the Krasna Polyana Roma quarter.

At the end of January Finland joined France and Germany in opposing Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the Schengen zone following a decision to this effect of Finland's committee for European affairs.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Finland's minister for european affairs and immigration Astrid Thors, said Romania and Bulgaria had done good work so far in meeting the requirements for joining the Schengen zone, but that more had to be done.

"Both countries still need to take concrete actions to strengthen the battle against corruption and crime," she said.

France and Germany have repeatedly voiced their staunch opposition to a March 2011 entry of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen Area, saying their still sufficient problems with justice and law enforcement that could render Schengen entry impracticable for the time being.

According to them a March 2011 accession to Schengen would be premature also because of the two countries' vulnerability to illegal immigration and trafficking of weapons, drugs and humans.

Bulgaria and Romania, which have been coupled ever since their joint accession to the European Union in 2007, aim to enter the border-less zone in March this year, claiming that all requirements for it had been met.

Accession is uncertain, however, since a report on the security of Bulgaria's frontier with Turkey was negative.

Bulgaria's government has repeatedly said it is working hard to cover the Schengen Agreement criteria and join the zone March 2011. The Balkan country has also started working with the Schengen Information System (SIS).

The country however will most probably fail to join the Schengen area in March 2011, a target date, which has been set as early as in 2007, during the term of the previous Socialist-led government.

Hungary, which currently holds the EU presidency, may decide to put this issue on the agenda of the Council of Interior Ministers of the EU, due on February 24, but the decision will most probably be negative.

The next deadline to be set for Bulgaria is expected to be November this year.

Bulgarian experts are unanimous that the country meets the technical requirements. The real problem rather seems to be the threat of information leakages and Greece's porous border with Turkey.

Analysts say the reluctance of France, The Netherlands, Germany and Austria to let the Balkan country join the Agreement in 2011 is both because of domestic politics and because they really believe the entry into Schengen will be premature, just as the EU entry.

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