Bulgaria Losing Patience with Dutch Schengen Veto - Foreign Minister

Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has reiterated Bulgaria’s indignation at the Dutch opposition to Schengen enlargement. Photo by BGNES

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has reiterated that Bulgaria is losing patience with the Dutch opposition to Schengen enlargement.

Speaking Wednesday at a joint press conference with his Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkevich, Mladenov repeated the comments of Finance Minister Simeon Djankov from last week that Bulgaria's patience towards the Netherlands had been exhausted and that Bulgaria and Romania had fallen prey to political games.

Mladenov, as cited by Capital Daily, noted that Bulgaria had always respected ongoing discussions in EU Member States but the country also insisted on a strict observance of the requirements provided in European legislation and the implementation of decisions of the European Council as they had been adopted.

"Unfortunately, a major part of the existing problems in Europe are related precisely to the nonobservance of the rules," Bulgaria's Foreign Minister stated, emphasizing that the Schengen Area was governed by rules that had to be universally observed.

Mladenov told journalists that Bulgaria had always insisted on being evaluated according to its own merits over the past twenty years, regardless of the government.

The Latvian Foreign Minister, who is on a visit to Sofia, declared the country's support for Bulgaria's Schengen bid.

Rinkevich claimed that the introduction of extra conditions for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen border-free zone was absolutely unacceptable.

Wednesday's meeting, the first bilateral meeting between Bulgaria and Latvia in six years, featured a discussion on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the spheres of economy, education, culture, and in organizations outside the EU like the UN.

Mladenov and Rinkevich also talked about the EU Cohesion Policy and the Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU 2014-2020.

"There are many similarities between Bulgaria and Latvia. Both countries underwent tough financial crises but they managed to discipline their economic governance through political efforts and they are nowadays role models for financial discipline in the EU" Bulgaria's Foreign minister concluded.

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