European Commission: Bulgaria should join Schengen

In a recent interview with the Bulgarian National Radio, the president of the European Commission declared that Bulgaria and Romania should be allowed to enter the passport free travel zone of the Schengen agreement. According to Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso, Romania and Bulgaria have met all the criteria required to enter the Schengen area and they should be given a chance. According to the president of the European Commission, the free movement of people will be a basic principle when labor markets are concerned in the European Union. Unfortunately, in May this year Romania and Bulgaria were rejected to enter the Schengen agreement after the Netherlands and Germany opposed on the grounds that the two countries are not ready and have issues to arrange such as corruption. Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso, however thinks that there should not be first and second class citizens in Europe and the region will be more strong when it is united.

The Schengen zone is an area of free movement and no internal border controls among the states that are its members. Currently there are twenty-five member states of the Schengen agreement. Four new members are waiting to be accepted in the Schengen area including Bulgaria and Romania, Liechtenstein and Cyprus.