Bulgaria Might Join Schengen by Sea, Air in 2012

The Netherlands is the only country still opposing and blocking Bulgaria's joining of Schengen, after Finland retracted its obstruction last month. Map from moveoneinc.com

Bulgaria and Romania are to join the Schengen zone with their maritime and aerial borders on March 25, 2012, the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) is proposing.

The proposal has been listed in the draft decision of the EU Council of Ministers, the correspondent of the Bulgarian National Television, BNT, reported from Brussels Sunday.

In addition, the proposal includes text that the land borders must be lifted no later then July 31, 2012.

The Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) is composed of the EU's Ministers of Justice, Internal Affairs or Asylum and Migration.

The enlargement of the Schengen zone requires unanimous consensus among its 25 Member States.

The Netherlands is the only country still opposing and blocking Bulgaria's joining of Schengen, after Finland retracted its obstruction last month.

It remains unclear if the Dutch will soften their stance, but the exact dates listed in the proposal are deemed a positive sign and a reason for optimism.

The idea for the gradual joining was launched by the Polish EU Presidency in an attempt to resolve the problem.

On Friday, the leaders of the 27 EU Member States, in their last for 2011 summit in Brussels, postponed once again Bulgaria's and Romania's Schengen accession.

The Dutch government is citing unsatisfactory results in the fight against corruption and organized crime as grounds for their opposition.

Bulgaria and Romania were initially planned to join the Schengen Area in the spring of 2011, but their entry was opposed by France and Germany, which also voiced objections relating not to technical criteria, but rather to corruption and organized crime.

In September, Finland and the Netherlands joined the camp of the opponents, vetoing the setting of an accession date for the two countries, but Finland later lifted their block on the two countries joining of Schengen.

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