Premium
The report of the fact-finding mission to Schengen hopefuls Romania and Bulgaria, which will be presented on Wednesday in Brussels, is "highly positive" for Romania, government sources said on Tuesday, adding that the Netherlands did not send experts on ground that this assessment mission "was not broad enough".
"The report is highly positive for Romania. (...) The Netherlands did not send experts to the assessment mission, arguing that it was not broad enough, it did not cover several fields," the official sources said.
Romania proposed the Netherlands to conduct an additional separate mission, but the Netherlands has not yet answered the invitation, the cited sources said. Also, the Romanian Minister of the Interior and his Dutch counterpart agreed to meet in The Hague at a date that has yet to be settled.
The cited sources specified that the reference to organized crime in the Dutch Parliament's resolution on the Schengen Area refers to Bulgaria.
"If the Schengen accession decision is taken in December, the airports' entry into the free movement area will happen in March," the sources mentioned.
The issues raised by the Netherlands with regard to Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen accession actually have to do with its internal policy, as elections will be soon organized in this country, the sources explain.
The EC and member states' experts will present on Wednesday to the Schengen working group in Brussels their report and conclusions following the Schengen assessment mission to Romania and Bulgaria, and the Council must next take the necessary steps for the two countries, together with Croatia, to fully join the free movement area, the European Commission's spokesperson on home affairs, migration and internal security Anitta Hipper told AGERPRES.
