Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has reiterated that Bulgaria is losing patience with the Dutch opposition to Schengen enlargement.
Speaking Wednesday at a joint press conference with his Latvian
counterpart, Edgars Rinkevich, Mladenov repeated the comments of Finance Minister Simeon Djankov from last week that Bulgaria's patience towards the Netherlands had been exhausted and that Bulgaria and Romania had fallen prey to political games.
Mladenov, as cited by Capital Daily, noted that Bulgaria had
always respected ongoing discussions in EU Member States but the country
also insisted on a strict observance of the requirements provided in
European legislation and the implementation of decisions of the European
Council as they had been adopted.
"Unfortunately, a major part of the existing problems in Europe are related precisely to the nonobservance of the rules," Bulgaria's Foreign Minister stated, emphasizing that the Schengen Area was governed by rules that had to be universally observed.
Mladenov told journalists that Bulgaria had always insisted on being evaluated according to its own merits over the past twenty years, regardless of the government.
The Latvian Foreign Minister, who is on a visit to Sofia, declared the country's support for Bulgaria's Schengen bid.
Rinkevich claimed that the introduction of extra conditions for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen border-free zone was absolutely unacceptable.
Wednesday's meeting, the first bilateral meeting between Bulgaria and Latvia
in six years, featured a discussion on strengthening bilateral
cooperation in the spheres of economy, education, culture, and in
organizations outside the EU like the UN.
Mladenov and Rinkevich also talked about the EU Cohesion Policy and the Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU 2014-2020.
"There are many similarities between Bulgaria and Latvia.
Both countries underwent tough financial crises but they managed to
discipline their economic governance through political efforts and they
are nowadays role models for financial discipline in the EU" Bulgaria's Foreign minister concluded.
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Άρνηση ΕΕ σε Βουλγαρία και Ρουμανία για Σένγκεν....
ReplyDeleteΜάρτιος 7, 2013.
Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση ανέβαλε την ψηφοφορία για ένταξη της Βουλγαρίας και της Ρουμανίας στο χώρο Σένγκεν.
Σύμφωνα με ανακοίνωση που εκδόθηκε μετά τη συνάντηση των Υπουργών Δικαιοσύνης και Εσωτερικών της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, με το ζήτημα αυτό, θα ασχοληθεί στο τέλος του έτους.
Η Γερμανία προειδοποίησε την περασμένη εβδομάδα ότι θα ασκήσει βέτο σε ενδεχόμενη ένταξη των κρατών αυτών, στη ζώνη Σένγκεν.
Για τη διεύρυνση του χώρου απαιτείται ομόφωνη ψηφοφορία.
Η Βουλγαρία και η Ρουμανία, έχουν εκπληρώσει όλες τις τεχνικές απαιτήσεις για την ένταξή τους το 2011, ωστόσο, υπάρχουν ανησυχίες για παραλείψεις στον τομέα της καταπολέμησης της διαφθοράς και του οργανωμένου εγκλήματος, με συνέπεια τη μη αποδοχή τους.
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The Hellenic Information Team
© Βαλκανικό Περισκόπιο - Ἂρθρα & Σκέψεις- Γιῶργος Ἐχέδωρος
Επιτρέπεται η αναδημοσίευση μόνον με αναφορά της ενεργής ηλεκτρονικής διεύθυνσης του ιστολογίου παραγωγής- http://www.echedoros-a.gr
Not Ready for Schengen....
ReplyDeleteThe Economist
"IF Romania and Bulgaria insist on a vote, the attempt will fail because of a German veto," said Hans-Peter Friedrich, the German minister of the interior in an interview with the news website of Der Spiegel, a German weekly. Both countries must take further steps to prevent migrants abusing the system, Mr Friedrich added.
Romania and Bulgaria were hoping to find out of the date of their admission to the passport-free Schengen zone today at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. But Germany (and Finland) say both countries are not ready. According to Mr Friedrich, who is a member of the conservative Bavarian Christian Social Union allied to Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, said that they have to do much more to fight corruption. Mr Friedrich also argued in favour of penalties for those who come to Germany only to get social-welfare benefits.
Thanks to Mr Friedrich's warning, Victor Ponta (pictured above), Romania's prime minister, decided not to insist on a vote on the issue at the summit. Traian Băsescu, the president, agreed with the government's position, but insisted that the country should ask for a new deadline either in September or December this year. "Romania's major aim is to get into the Schengen zone and no sacrifice should be big enough to make this happen, not even sacrificing the country's corrupted people", he said. Mr Băsescu added at least seven countries oppose his country's membership in the Schengen zone mainly because of the report by the EU's Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification (CVM on the (lack of) progress on judicial reform and the fight against corruption in Romania.
In the latest CVM report published in January this year, the European Commission criticised Romania for failing to meet demands on protecting democracy and the rule of law and urged the government to accelerate its reforms. The report underlines that the justice system had to face political pressure and anti-corruption prosecutors were undermined. The Commissioned expressed concerns regarding "the lack of respect for the independence of the judiciary and the instability faced by judicial institutions."
It is not the first time Romania is denied access to the Schengen area. Bucharest has been trying to acquire membership for the last three years. In 2012, the Netherlands oppose Romania's admission, arguing that the previous CVM report, published last July, didn't show enough progress. This report was released in the middle of a political crisis that damaged Romania's credibility. In 2010, France was the first country to point out that Romania and Bulgaria are not ready yet to join the Schengen zone. Pierre Lellouche, who back then was France's state secretary for European affairs, expressed his concern about the Romanian-Moldovan border "because of the distribution of Romanian passports outside their border".
For Romanians the Schengen membership (if ever they get it) will not bring a major change. They have been able to travel around Europe only with their ID or passport since 2007 when their country became an EU member.
Even so, another Schengen membership postponement is a setback for Romania. As long as the Romanian parliament continues to block the prosecution for corruption charges of high-profile politicians and Romanians rely on bribes to solve their daily problems, the country's integration into the EU will not be completed.
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=148524
8/3/13
Spain, Italy snub France, call for immediate Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria...
ReplyDeleteBoth Italy and Spain underlined yesterday Romania and Bulgaria fully comply with the Schengen accession criteria, putting France in an awkward position after Paris has recently raised the immigration issue as an argument against the two countries’ objective to join the borderless area.
“Spain has supported Romania’s accession to the Schengen area and will continue to do so because, as it has always said, Romania complies with the technical criteria that have been set as conditions for the access” the Spanish embassy in Bucharest said as quoted by Hotnews.
The Spanish government also “firmly rejects the attempts to associate Romania’s accession to the social integration of the Roma community because a social disfavored group cannot turn into a scapegoat for a state policy” the embassy added, referring to France’s recent position in which it argued the Roma immigration is an obstacle in Romania and Bulgaria’s accession efforts.
The Spanish embassy’s position comes after a French newspaper maintained Spain is among the EU countries that reject the country’s Schengen accession.
At the same time, the Italian embassy in Bucharest pointed out Romania has fulfilled all the criteria for joining the Schengen area and the country should be granted access to the borderless area.
http://sofiaglobe.com/2013/10/01/spain-italy-snub-france-call-for-immediate-schengen-accession-of-romania-and-bulgaria/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=spain-italy-snub-france-call-for-immediate-schengen-accession-of-romania-and-bulgaria
1/10/13
Cameron to limit migrant benefits...
ReplyDelete“Free movement should not be about exporting child benefit,” thundered UK Prime Minister David Cameron in a column for the Financial Times outlining plans to limit unemployment benefits for new EU migrants ahead of the abolition of immigration restrictions for Romanians and Bulgarians beginning on January 1, 2014.
Cameron unveiled a series of measures to dissuade would-be migrants from travelling to the UK, including a bar on new claimants collecting out-of-work allowances for the first three months after they arrive, and a six-month upper limit on receiving such benefits.
There will also be a new minimum income criteria for part-time workers applying for income support benefits and a block on new EU migrants accessing housing allowances.
Under the front page headline ‘EU migrants face tough new curbs on benefits’, The Times details the PM’s plans adding that Austria, Germany and the Netherlands have also highlighted concerns about a possible influx of migrants following the end of border controls for Romanians and Bulgarians. The newspaper continues –
The package is expected to be challenged by the European Commission under the EU Freedom of Movement directive, although government sources said that they were confident that they were within the rules. Mr Cameron set out his position for what he hopes will be a defining tussle with Brussels, saying it was time for a new settlement that qualified the right to travel to live and work within the EU.
http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/4356891-cameron-limit-migrant-benefits?xtor=RSS-9
27/11/13