Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva recently said in a press conference that Romania could surpass Bulgaria in terms of the pace of accession to the Schengen Area.

The next progress report of the European Commission (EC) under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism will be very severe for Bulgaria and a comparison to Romania will not be favorable, according to Kuneva, reports local Agerpres.

"The differences between the two countries will be highlighted. Bulgaria fails to show substantial progress compared to the last report, and this is a bad thing. After two consecutive positive reports Romania may join the Schengen area," Kuneva added.

editor@romania-insider.com