In the coming days, a special group of experts from the countries of the Schengen Agreement, chosen by the European Commission at the request of Sofia, will work for this assessment, writes “Diary” publication.. His conclusions will definitely influence the vote of the country’s leaders in December on the admission of the last two EU countries, which are not included in the border crossing zone without checking personal documents.

The mission has been known at least since last week in the European Parliament, and this week details about it were provided to “Dnevnik” and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria.

The plot unfolds around Bulgaria and Romania

We are talking about Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and for the latter it is almost certain that it will be admitted.

There is one more country outside the Schengen area – Cyprus, but this is a special case, since the island state still does not control part of its territory, where the Turkish army has been stationed for almost half a century.

So, the plot unfolds around Bulgaria and Romania. And it is not at all certain that two or one of them will be able to cross the threshold to become a full member, which for more than a decade it has been claimed that it is technically ready.

This new “window” of opportunities for promoting the Schengen theme opened in the spring. The reason is France’s presidency of the EU Council, the source of the Brussels newspaper “Dnevnyk” reported. Sometime in March and April, and largely stimulated by the Russian aggression against Ukraine that began on February 24, the French instilled hope in the authorities in Sofia, Zagreb and Bucharest, another source from the Romanian capital confirmed.

It became clear quite quickly that the Croats, who also stepped up their campaign for the transition to the euro, were also almost ready for Schengen, and this was appreciated by Paris and the European institutions.

At the same time, Romania and Bulgaria do not have an up-to-date assessment (nor do they need it legally)

Bulgaria’s preparation dates back to 2011, and the conclusion is that the criteria are technically covered. But the approval of the accession did not take place due to the disapproval of several countries, including the Netherlands, Denmark, France, and Germany unofficially. Over the years, Bulgaria always faces the same problem – it is almost always about technical criteria and very rarely about mistrust of the country’s government. At best, it is couched in diplomatic phrases such as the need to do more for the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organized crime.

“The most reliable way to join the Schengen Agreement is to eliminate corruption and improve the level of Bulgarian institutions. It’s not about political speeches, it’s about doing our job,” Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kyryll Petkov said in mid-May at a joint press conference. conference in Sofia together with his Dutch colleague Mark Rutte. “I have nothing to add, that’s the way it is,” answered Rutte.

Around this time, there was an initiative to voluntarily invite a small group of experts to Bulgaria and Romania. (The Diary was unable to determine with certainty whether Bucharest came first and Sofia joined later, whether the order was reversed or whether the move was made synchronously.)

They will visit both countries, but they should not make a complex assessment, which will be difficult and slow, but only on some problematic issues, they explained to “Dnevnik” from Brussels. The main institution they will work with this week is the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The upcoming assessment “is fundamental for Bulgaria to be accepted in Schengen”, the Ministry of Internal Affairs told “Dnevnik”. “This will be done by about 30 very serious experts from almost all EU countries, except for the Netherlands. They are selected by the European Commission according to a certain procedure and criteria, they will be distributed in several areas and checks will be carried out simultaneously at different points,” added the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Experts from Frontex, Europol and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) will participate in this visit as observers, Clubul Z reported a few days ago.

The publication also listed the names of the group members and the topics of police cooperation, the Schengen Information System (SIS), external border management, return issues, and fundamental human rights. A source from the Brussels newspaper “Dnevnyk”, who wished to remain anonymous, commented that in general they are indicated correctly.

The procedure is as follows: within 10 days after the completion of the inspection, the experts prepare a report, which is submitted to the European Commission.

Based on these findings, the Commission assesses whether the country has resolved all issues. The recommendation is submitted to the EU Council for member states to decide whether to approve new Schengen members.

“Dnevnyk” also inquired about the stage of Bulgaria’s preparation for the entry-exit system (EES), the deadline for which is to be implemented for all EU countries is the end of May 2023. The Ministry of Internal Affairs responded: “In the early days of September, the old order was suspended due to numerous inconsistencies in the Law on Public Procurement. Currently, the documentation for the public tender announcement is being prepared.

A new specification has been developed that fully complies with the regulatory framework, which will build on what has already been done.” The presence of this computerized automatic border control system is not a mandatory requirement for Schengen entry. But this is one of the key projects to strengthen the protection of the EU’s external borders and security in the Schengen area. The ECJ Regulation entered into force almost five years ago – on December 29, 2017 and was introduced as an addendum to the Schengen Borders Code.

Its main purpose is to record the detailed personal data of travelers from third countries (with short-stay visas or those admitted as a visa-free exception) every time they cross the EU’s external border. The EUS should remove the current stamps from passports, it will also record visa refusals and identify those who have remained in the EU after their visas have expired. In short, the system should help prevent illegal immigration.

Bulgaria and Romania have another problem – monitoring by the European Commission. The mechanism of cooperation and verification, introduced in 2007, has not yet been abolished

It does not compile annual reports for Bulgaria, but the European Commission does not officially raise this issue either. For Romania, the Mechanism is still in place.

This year, France and Germany have shown their support by admitting the two countries to Schengen, despite being under this control. But the position of the Netherlands on this issue is unknown, and Denmark, traditionally critical, is also diplomatically silent.

Romanians expect that Mark Rutte will visit the country on Wednesday

Romanians are counting on Mark Rutte to visit the country on Wednesday and hold talks with President Klaus Iohannis, who told an EU summit in Prague last Thursday that there was hope, but no guarantee, that the country would join Schengen. on January 1, 2023.

In Bucharest, it is reported that Rutte has not said recently whether he is ready to withdraw his dissent, and this does not rule out the version that the Netherlands is actually looking for people who have the same views as his position, so as not to remain isolated in Europe on this issue .

Member of the European Parliament Dragoš Pislaru (“Restore Europe”) commented that, despite the extremely favorable context at the European level, Romania has vulnerabilities related to human trafficking, the border with Ukraine “and, in general, recently there are other examples, which show us that everything is not entirely rosy.”

The conclusion of the Venice Commission on legislative changes, including the independence of prosecutors from the DNA and the de facto transformation of this special institution into several smaller special units, is awaited.

“The fundamental problem is not at the European level, it is at the level of our country. It is related to the administration of justice and the fact that since joining the European Union we have had suspended membership. Monitoring – and the situation related to this is worse compared to 2016 year – this means that there is a concern of the member states of the European Union that in the person of Romania, taking into account the corruption, the captured state and the weak institutional strength of the judicial system as a whole, there is a potential risk of deviation from European values”, Pislaru adds.

For Bulgaria, there is another high stakes in these events. If only Croatia is accepted, it is very likely that Romania will blame Bulgaria for its failure as a kind of burden, and then work hard to change Europe’s perception that the two countries are a tandem for Schengen entry. If Croatia and Romania are accepted, it will be a resounding slap in the face to Bulgaria, which could upset the domestic political consensus that we should become members on January 1. And this, in its turn, would be a blow to opponents of Bulgaria’s quick entry into the eurozone.

The material was created with the support of Rador