Category: Business Support

A new requirement has been introduced by all countries that are member states of the Schengen Area. According to that requirement, people that are coming from countries outside this European passport-free zone should have a passport that is valid for at least three months beyond the date of their departure. This new rule entered into force on 19th July. The new change is officially known as regulation EU 610/2013 and it covers the countries from the Schengen zone and also Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia. Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria are not part of the borderless Schengen free-travel agreement zone yet. In order to become members of the Schengen zone, the three countries need to cover certain criteria. There is yet another requirement – the passports should be issued within the last ten years.

The Schengen zone aims to abolish the checks that are placed alongside the internal borders of the European Union, however at the same time it needs to tighten the control at the external borders, following a set of strict rules. The rules cover several areas like rules for people crossing the external borders of the European Union, same rules on short-stay visas, police cooperation and usage of the Schengen Information System.

During an official visit in Bucharest the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Vigenin assured his Romanian counterpart that the long protests against the government in Bulgaria will not impede the attempt of the two countries to access the passport-free Schengen zone. According to the Foreign Affairs Minister, the undergoing protests in Sofia will not lead to a situation in which problems will arise for Romania and Bulgaria to join the no visa Schengen zone. Mr. Vigenin pointed out that the Bulgarian Government and the Parliament are active and will do their share of the work in order to prepare the country for joining the Schengen zone. According to him the current political situation in Bulgaria should not have an impact on the possible decision that concern the entry into Schengen that is expected to be taken by the end of this year.

The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the two countries will coordinate their positions, aiming to cover all requirements that are needed in order for them to be accepted in the free movement zone of Schengen, as their accession is already listed in the agenda of the Council for Justice and Home Affairs, which will take place in December this year. Romania and Bulgaria will join their Schengen acceptance campaigns.

In the last decade of August the Foreign Minister of Romania stated that Romania and Bulgaria will work together and make efforts to overcome their problems. He confirmed the hopes of the two countries to join the Schengen area in two-phase process. During the presidency of Lithuania, there will be a draft resolution on that issue as part of the agenda of the council that is expected to be held in December. Romania and Bulgaria will attend joint meetings this fall, during which they will lay the grounds for the meeting of their joint efforts. The position of Romania and Bulgaria that concern Schengen entry will be coordinated. There will be negotiations and several bilateral agreements that concern the implementation of several programs based on cooperation between the two countries. These programs concern not only the regional cooperation, but also cooperation in Europe.

The Foreign Ministers of Romania and Bulgaria already stated that the economic exchanges and cross-border cooperation between the two countries should be increased. This summer was opened the second bridge over Danube River that linked the Bulgarian town of Vidin with the Romania town of Calafat. There will also be talks on the cooperation on energy issues and various cultural projects. The neighboring countries Bulgaria and Romania are already members of the European Union and NATO, they have common interests and projects together.

This summer the Ambassador of the Netherlands stated that his country is not satisfied with the progress that Bulgaria, having in mind the attempts that the country makes to enter the Schengen agreement. According to Mr. Karel van Kesteren, Bulgaria should make more efforts to fight crime and corruption in the country and to improve its judiciary system and should oppose the oligarchic model which is not compatible with the membership in the European Union. The Ambassador confirmed that Bulgaria is technically ready to enter the Schengen zone, however it is still not showing enough progress as far as the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism is concerned.

In the beginning of August it became clear that Norway is also against the Schengen entry of Bulgaria and Romania. Norway is against the enlargement of the Schengen zone, fearing a new wave of crime. The press in Norway states that local people are against the Roma people coming from the two countries and not against the regular citizens of Bulgaria and Romania. The entry of Bulgaria in the visa-free Schengen area is still in question. The Schengen bid of the two countries will be discussed this winter. If Romania and Bulgaria are accepted in the Schengen zone, most probably people from the two countries will be able to travel without passports throughout the countries from the Schengen agreement next spring.

According to the Dutch Ambassador Karel van Kesteren Bulgaria’s attempts to joint Schengen area will not be successful in the near future. He states that Bulgaria will enter the Schengen agreement at one point, but he is positive that this will not be soon. The Dutch Ambassador stated that the entry of Bulgaria into Schengen zone is a matter of trust and further said that the country will be ready for this new step once its politicians improve the situation in the country and unite, answering to the demonstrations in the country that are taking place for two months already. Thus, the border free Schengen zone remains a dream for the country of Bulgaria that is yet to happen, but not at that moment and not any time soon.

The Dutch Ambassador Karel van Kesteren also supported the statement made by the Ambassadors of France and Germany on the oligarchy model of the Bulgarian government – a policy that does not appeal to the European Union membership. At the end of December this year, under the Lithuanian presidency of the European Union, there will be new discussions whether Romania and Bulgaria shall enter the Schengen zone or not.

Travelling to a country that is part of the Schengen zone when your own country is not part of the agreement could be difficult, but getting a Schengen visa is not impossible. In case that you want to visit Europe and see several of the countries that are part of the Schengen area, you should apply for a Schengen visa that allows for visits to many countries in Europe. The Schengen area includes twenty-seven countries and when you apply for a visa you need to write down on the application form which countries you plan to visit. In other words, you need to do some careful planning, before the trip to Europe starts. In the same Schengen via application form you will need to set the duration of the stay in each country and where you intend to stay, adding a proof of the accommodation. In case that you are not staying in a hotel and do not have a booking form, but you are staying with friends, you will need a letter from them and a copy of their passport.

Among the other documents that should be added are airplane tickets, bank statements for the last three months and a full itinerary. The application form is submitted to the embassy of the country that is the main destination of the trip, being the one that you will visit for the longest period of time. The application form and the information in the website of the embassy are often updated, so you should make sure that you have the latest version. Bulgaria and Romania are still not members of the Schengen zone, however they are expected to become members in the near future.

On 1st July this year Lithuania took over the presidency over the European Union, which is done on a rotating basis. Authorities from the country stated that they do not feel optimistic on the enlargement of the Schengen zone with new member states such as Bulgaria and Romania. The accession of the two countries in the borderless Schengen area is already quite protracted and there is no clear sign until when shall that be a fact. The permanent representative of Lithuania to the European Union, Mr. Raimundas Karoblis stated that nothing could be promised for the joining of the two countries in the passport free zone. At the same time, the European Commission confirms that Bulgaria as well as Romania are ready to enter Schengen and have been ready ever since 2010. Even so, several other countries that are members of the Schengen agreement are still blocking the bid of the two countries due to various reasons such as poor control on the borders, no progress and corruption.

Mr. Raimundas Karoblis further said that the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen zone will be part of his country presidency priorities, but the two countries shall make efforts and show progress and results. According to the diplomat, agreement shall be looked upon in the beginning of December when the Justice and Home Affairs Council will take a decision whether to accept Romania and Bulgaria in Schengen or not.

A week or two ago, the Prime Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault had a meeting and talks with the President of Romania Mr. Traian Basescu. During that meeting he stated that Romania and assumingly Bulgaria could be accessed in the Schengen zone in two phases. He said that the first borders to be lifted are expected to be the air border controls, followed by the land border controls. According to the Prime Minister of France, his country shows support on the entry of Bulgaria and Romania and stated its opinion on several occasions. He stated that the integrity and the overall security of the European Union borders should be strengthened and the external borders should be well protected, as all countries that are members of the Schengen zone should fight against crime and corruption.

Bulgaria and Romania were supposed to enter the Schengen area in March 2011, when their accession was put off by France and Germany, two of the leading European Union member states. In September the same year, the Netherlands and Finland also blocked the bid for entry of the two countries, asking them to improve their results in the fight against organized crime and corruption. The new decision on whether the Bulgaria and Romania to enter the Schengen area will be taken not sooner than this December.

The Prime Minister of Bulgaria Mr. Plamen Oresharski had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Romania Mr. Victor Ponta at the end of June. The meeting was arranged to discuss various matters of mutual interest for the two countries, however the main topic was the two countries’ bid to enter the passport free Schengen area. The two prime ministers agreed to organize a summit in the city of Varna in the autumn. The main decision that resulted from their meeting in July was that the two countries decided to work together and to face the difficulties they encounter. The two countries will coordinate their positions in an attempt to have a better standing in front of their partners from the European Union.

The accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen zone was blocked in March by a group of member states, on the basis of problems with the organized crime and the corruption which the two countries are believed to have. During the meeting the two prime ministers also discussed several projects that concern both of the countries, such as the energy project of Nabucco and the natural gas networks between the two countries.

In the middle of June during a meeting with the Romanian Prime Minister, the Prime Minister of Slovakia confirmed that his country strongly supports Bulgaria and Romania accession to the border-free Schengen zone. He also said that no new criteria are expected to be implied. According to the Prime Minister Roberto Fico, there should be no other criteria for the accession besides the requirements that have already been established and which the two countries follow.

A few weeks later Lithuania declared its support for Bulgaria and Romania for their efforts to enter the Schengen zone. Lithuania will be the next country that will host the European Union presidency and it will offer a discussion on accepting Bulgaria and Romania in the border free Schengen zone. This is expected to happen in December during a meeting of the European Ministers of Interior. According to Lithuania, they will do their best to reach a favorable decision on Bulgaria and Romania entering the Schengen area. The president of the country has presented his credential letters to the Bulgarian ambassador in Lithuania, stating that his country strongly supports the accession. Bulgaria and Romania were postponed to enter the passport free zone of Schengen in the beginning of the year when several member state countries stated that they do not show serious results in their fight against organized crime and against corruption.