The decision on Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen area will be taken on September 22, according to Bulgaria's Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, quoted by Novinite.com. “It would be nice if the Justice and Home Affairs Council takes a political decision to remove the air and water borders first, and the land borders, too, on a later stage," said the Bulgarian Interior Minister at the Bulgarian National Radio.

More European Commission reports on Bulgaria and Romania should come out before conclusions could be drawn on the two EU newcomers' accession to the Schengen area, according to Tsvetan Tsvetanov. He also thinks that the two countries may join the border-free zone in July 2012.

Recently, the Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc said that Romania’s Government hopes the country will join the Schengen area next year, depending on European-level decision.

Romanian should have already joined the Schengen area, based on the previous timeline, but several European countries have opposed it, saying the country still needs to fulfill some criteria.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com