The European Parliament urges member states to allow Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen travel-free area without delay, according to a press release.
In a resolution adopted on Tuesday, the Members of the Parliament (MEPs) said that the Council should adopt a decision on Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen free movement area by the end of 2022.
MEPs stated that this should ensure the abolition of checks on persons at all internal borders for both countries in early 2023. The resolution was adopted with 547 votes in favour, 49 votes against, and 43 abstaining.
MEPs criticise the Council’s failure to take a decision on admitting Bulgaria and Romania, even though the two countries have long since fulfilled the necessary conditions.
“Maintaining internal border controls is discriminatory and has a serious impact on the lives of mobile workers and citizens,” said the MEPs.
“By obstructing imports, exports and the free flow of goods from freight ports, they also harm the EU single market,” they added
Currently, all EU member states except Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania are part of the Schengen area, which also encompasses non-EU states Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The accession of new countries to Schengen requires a unanimous decision by the Council of the EU. The Czech Presidency of the Council has indicated that it intends to hold discussions on the subject before the end of 2022.