site.btaEU Commissioner Avramopoulos: Entry of Bulgaria, Romania in Schengen Is Politically Fair and Necessary for Security

Brussels, September 27 (BTA Correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - Speaking at a news conference here Wednesday, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said that it is not only politically fair but also necessary from a security point of view that Bulgaria and Romania join Schengen.

"Schengen is one of the major achievements of European integration and we are fully committed to safeguard, preserve and strengthen it. The absence of internal border control constitutes the very essence of Schengen. But in a common area without border controls, security concerns are common too. This is why we must do everything to preserve the careful balance between free movement and mobility on the one hand, and security on the other. And we can only achieve this through a coordinated and united Schengen framework, which should include Romania and Bulgaria too," Avramopoulos also said, quoted in a press release by the European Commission.

The Commission calls on the EU Council to take the decision for the full integration of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area. "For Member States to confront threats in a united way, standing together in a stronger Schengen area, it is now high time that Bulgaria and Romania become full Schengen members. The Council should take the decision to approve their Schengen accession and lift controls at the internal borders between these two Member States and their EU neighbours. Bulgaria and Romania have demonstrated their capacity to defend the EU's external borders, and should therefore become members of our internal border-free zone," the press release reads.