Bulgaria, Romania Vow to Stay Together on Way to Schengen

A Bulgarian border policeman monitors screens as European home affairs Commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom looks on during her visit to the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing point between Bulgaria and Turkey, 11 February 2011. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The foreign policy committees of the parliaments of Bulgaria and Romania issued on Wednesday a joint declaration on the readiness of the two Balkan countries to join the borderless Schengen Area.

The Foreign Policy and Defense Committee of the Bulgarian Parliament and the Foreign Policy Committee of the Romanian legislature held a joint sitting in the Bulgarian Danube city of Russe.

The joint declaration that they adopted declared the two countries' readiness and political will for Schengen accession. The declaration comes at a time when it is almost certain that Bulgaria and Romania will not be admitted to Schengen at the original deadline of March 2011.

The specific reason for that is certain border control issues that Bulgaria has along its Turkish border but in the wider context key EU member state such as France and Germany have declared their opposition to letting the Balkan states to join the Schengen agreement for the time being.

They have demanded that their accession be made conditional on their progress on corruption, organized crime, and judicial reform – areas monitored by the EC under a different mechanism.

In their declaration on Wednesday, the Bulgarian and Romanian MPs stated the desire of the two countries not to be decoupled for Schengen.

Even though decoupling has a remote possibility because it would mean that if either one joins first, it will have to invest in securing the joint border, it has not been ruled out altogether by EU and member states officials.

After initially meeting in Ruse, the Bulgarian and Romanian MPs went to the Romanian town of Giurgiu, where the declaration was signed.

The Ambassadors in Sofia and Bucharest of the past, current, and future EU Presidency chairs – Belgium, Hungary, and Poland – as well as district governors and mayors were also invited to attend the joint sitting.