The European Commission considers that Romania and Bulgaria meet all the conditions to join the Schengen area, said Mina Andreeva, EC spokesperson.

However, the member states need to decide the date when the two countries will be admitted to the Schengen area. The decision needs to be unanimous, the EC spokesperson added, reports local Mediafax.

In January this year, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, the former president of the European Commission (EC), said that Romania was ready to join the Schengen area.

Some EU countries, including the Netherlands, have been blocking Romania’s Schengen accession in the past years.

editor@romania-insider.com