Visegrad Four Backs Bulgaria for Schengen - Ambassador

General view of the participants of the summit of the Visegrad Group countries in Bratislava, Slovakia 15 February 2011. EPA/BGNES

Bulgaria can rely on the support of the Visegrad Four countries – the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia – for its accession to the borderless Schengen Area.

This was stated by Karol Mistrik, Ambassador of Slovakia in Sofia, cited by BNR, on Tuesday, just as the leaders of the V4 countries marked the 20th birthday of the Central European grouping in Bratislava. Slovakia currently presides over the V4, while Hungary holds the rotating EU Presidency, to be followed by Poland in the second half of 2011.

Ambassador Mistrik has declined to comment on whether the Visegrad Four has enough weight to convince the skeptical Western European states that the technical criteria for Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen Accession should not be bound to the progress that the two EU newcomers make on corruption and organized crime – which is monitored by the European Commission.

"I don't want to take guesses as to how the political talks in the EU Council will develop. I can only speak for my country and the Visegrad group. We support Bulgaria for its accession to Schengen and will do everything possible for you to achieve this goal. On the political level Bulgaria has a great chance because this year two of countries from the V4 hold the EU Presidency," Ambassador Mistrik is quoted as saying.

 

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