The European countries have not yet taken a decision on the admission of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Treaty. Rotating EU chairman Spain has removed the topic from the agenda of this week's meeting of interior ministers.
Ministers will not make a decision on Tuesday, December 5, but will only receive a progress report. Bulgaria and Romania will therefore have to wait a little longer before they can join the area of free movement of goods and persons.
Both countries have been candidate members of the Schengen Treaty for many years. But objections about persistent high levels of crime, inadequate justice and weak prosecution prevented admission for a long time.
The European Commission ruled earlier this year that the two countries now meet European criteria and conditions, but this is contradicted by Austria and the Netherlands. This has already led to recurring disagreements in the corridors of various ministerial meetings.
The Netherlands maintains its position and remains against Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area, as was recently reported by the Trouw newspaper. Despite the positive assessment by the European Commission, Austria and the Netherlands point to persistent concerns about the security situation and justice. In particular, attention is drawn to the high level of crime, which continues to be a concern.
Earlier this year, Bulgaria asked the Netherlands to send Dutch experts to the border with Turkey to see how the Bulgarians operate there. The Dutch experts can then provide advice and make it clear what exactly the Netherlands expects from Bulgaria, said the new Bulgarian Prime Minister Denkov.
But The Hague has not yet made a decision on the invitation, let alone on a breakthrough in Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area. Dutch Prime Minister Rutte has now resigned and work is underway to form a new cabinet. No new Dutch position is expected in this caretaker situation.