MEPs from the European Parliament's Petitions Committee adopted a resolution on Tuesday, June 27, asking the Council to vote by the end of 2023 in favor of admitting Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. They say both countries fulfil the requirements for admission, further arguing that "vetoing accession has created anti-European sentiment and harmed the economy and the climate."

The European Parliament said in the press release that the MEPs "regret the Council's decision on December 8, 2022, to reject the accession of these two countries 'without presenting any legal justification related to accession criteria'."

"A larger Schengen area without border controls would make the EU stronger, argue MEPs," according to the same source.

The European lawmakers also say that keeping Romania and Bulgaria out of Schengen is an important societal and economic burden for the businesses and populations of the two countries.

"Citizens of Bulgaria and Romania are discriminated, as they face delays, bureaucratic difficulties and additional costs when traveling or doing business abroad, compared to their counterparts in the Schengen area, says the text. Noting the waiting time at border crossings, MEPs note that the delays that Romanians and Bulgarians face can last from a few hours to even days –compared to the 10 minutes without internal border controls– which also worsens the working conditions of truck drivers," reads the press release.

In addition, MEPs point out that the current situation "is instrumentalised by anti-EU propaganda, including Russian propaganda," and "undermines EU capacity to promote its values and good governance in third countries.”

The European Parliament will vote on the resolution adopted on June 27 during the July 10-13 plenary.

At the moment, all EU member states except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania are part of the Schengen free-travel area, which also includes non-EU states Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Austria vetoed Romania's accession to Schengen in early December 2022, despite support from the European Commission, the European Parliament and a majority of member states, quoting an increase in illegal migration.

Earlier this month, Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said the government would launch an "extended plan" for the country's accession to Schengen, which will be aimed at persuading Austria to remove its veto.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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