Bulgaria postponed for Schengen zone: reasons behind the decision

Mina Boycheva 28/03/2013

There are many reasons why Bulgaria has not been accepted to the Schengen space earlier in March. Some of the country’s critics say that Sofia’s politicians were incapable to convince their partners from the European Union that the country is ready to become one of them. Others think that Bulgaria is still incapable of joining the common border and has issues to deal with as far as organized crime, illegal immigration and corruption are concerned. At the same time, the Bulgarian politicians claim that the country has implemented all reforms required and that it was completely ready to be accepted in the Schengen zone in March.

The zones on which Bulgaria should focus are the local judiciary system, the fight against the corruption in the administration, as well as the fight against the organized crime.

The ministers of justice and home affairs of the EU have now postponed the membership of Bulgaria and Romania for indefinite period of time. The countries that were against the acceptance of the two new members are Germany and Finland, as well as The Netherlands. Their decision is based on the latest annual report for Bulgaria and Romania, according to which the two countries made progress but it was insufficient for them to be accepted in the security zone of Schengen. The zones on which Bulgaria should focus are the local judiciary system, the fight against the corruption in the administration, as well as the fight against the organized crime.

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