Bulgaria has made visible progress on the criteria for joining the Schengen area. And the Netherlands has to account for that, So we have to be fair. Otherwise it would just be stupid. The comment was made by the resigned Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who shared it during the EU summit in Brussels, Apostol Apostolov reported specifically for BGNES from Brussels.
The passage was quoted in some of the leading local media. They recall that the outgoing cabinet blocked the accession of the Eastern European country for years because it did not meet the criteria. Among them are the lack of proper border control, the state of the democratic rule of law and the fight against corruption. Moreover, a recent study led by the European Commission did not reveal any shortcomings.
"Since we have already established that Bulgaria has carried out reforms in the area of the rule of law in a sustainable manner, we believe that Bulgaria meets the requirements and can join the Schengen area," wrote the previous state secretary Erik van der Burgh in his reasons ( Justice and Security) in the House of Representatives. According to him, Bulgaria "should continue to work for strong external borders.
The economic e-site notes nu.nl. notes that the attitude of the Netherlands has long caused irritation in the European Commission and the European Parliament. Therefore, some pressure was exerted on the country to accept Bulgaria in the Schengen area.
The Schengen area now consists of 27 European countries within which it is possible to travel without border controls.
Now that The Hague has changed its mind, all eyes are on Austria. This country also opposed the accession of Bulgaria.
Austria and Bulgaria will enter into negotiations to see if Vienna's resistance can be lifted. EU sources believe that support from the Netherlands may play a role in this. /BGNES
