EC Spokesperson: The Murder of Aleksei Petrov will Not Influence the Admission of Bulgaria to Schengen

"The murder of Aleksei Petrov should not be confused with the admission of Bulgaria to Schengen, which has its own trajectory and clear rules" - this is how the spokeswoman of the European Commission, Anitta Hipper, answered a question about how this case will affect the accession of Bulgaria to the area of free movement.

For now, vetoes are imposed by two member countries - the Netherlands and Austria. The Netherlands cites organized crime and corruption in Bulgaria as a motive.

Hipper recalled that the Commission's position has been unchanged for a long time. "For 12 years, we have been claiming that Bulgaria and Romania are ready for Schengen", she emphasized.

Hipper expressed expectation that this year the Council of the EU will make a decision by which they will become its full members.

At the beginning of September, the Netherlands, which is governed by a caretaker government, must draw up a list of non-urgent issues for the country to solve.

If the Netherlands' veto on Bulgaria's accession to Schengen falls there, then probably a decision in the Balkan country's favor will not be made until the end of the year.

The results that Bulgaria has achieved in fulfilling the requirements for entering the Schengen area will be checked in September by a foreign mission with the participation of representatives of the Netherlands and Austria. Read more about this topic here.

Alexei Petrov was a controversial figure in the Bulgarian public space. He is a former politician, security expert, advisor to the security services, a businessman who had a lot of connections with all spheres of life in the country. Read more about him and his murder here.

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