Friday

29th Sep 2023

France and Germany oppose newcomers to border-free area

  • Paris and Berlin say no to Schengen enlargement (Photo: johnnyalive)

France and Germany sent a joint letter to the EU on Tuesday (21 December) describing Bulgaria and Romania's entry into Europe's border-free Schengen area in March as "premature" and urging more progress in the fight against corruption and organised crime. The move was slammed as "an act of discrimination" by Bucharest.

French interior minister Brice Hortefeux and his German counterpart Thomas de Maiziere raised their objections in a joint letter to the EU commission, according to AFP.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The ministers said it was "premature" to let the two countries join Schengen in March - the current date aimed for by the two countries - and recommended that the EU wait for "irreversible progress" in the fight against corruption and organised crime instead.

Back in Berlin, a spokesman for Germany's interior ministry said that lack of progress by Romania and Bulgaria in reforming their judiciaries could have "grave consequences for the European Union's security" and raised concerns about an "overly swift" adhesion to the Schengen area, AP reported.

Romanian President Traian Basescu reacted to the letter saying it was "an act of discrimination against Romania" which his country would not tolerate, even if it comes from "EU's most powerful countries".

In practice there is little Bucharest can do, as the decision has to be agreed unanimously among Schengen members - 22 EU states plus Norway, Switzerland and Iceland - meaning that France and Germany have veto powers.

Meanwhile, a more compliant Bulgarian foreign ministry spokeswoman said her country would "do the utmost to remove any doubts, including in the areas of the judicial system and society as a whole".

The two newcomers had so far painfully tried to avoid a link between a unique EU monitoring system put in place after they joined the bloc in 2007 and evaluating their fight against crime and corruption, with their bid to become members of the border-free area.

So far, the EU commission had maintained that the two processes are not linked and that Schengen enlargement has its own evaluation system, but has also conceded that it is "a matter of trust" with other states in the area, which will depend on the newcomers to secure their common borders.

Experts evaluating the readiness of the countries two have so far given them a green light, with a final report due in January.

Romania threatens Croatia in Schengen dispute

Romania is threatening to create problems for Croatia's EU accession bid in a diplomatic counter-attack against delays to its own entry into the border-free Schengen zone.

Opinion

How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?

The EU Commission's new magic formula for avoiding scrutiny is simple. You declare the documents in question to be "short-lived correspondence for a preliminary exchange of views" and thus exempt them from being logged in the official inventory.

Column

Will Poles vote for the end of democracy?

International media must make clear that these are not fair, democratic elections. The flawed race should be the story at least as much as the race itself.

Latest News

  1. EU women promised new dawn under anti-violence pact
  2. Three steps EU can take to halt Azerbaijan's mafia-style bullying
  3. Punish Belarus too for aiding Putin's Ukraine war
  4. Added-value for Russia diamond ban, as G7 and EU prepare sanctions
  5. EU states to agree on asylum crisis bill, say EU officials
  6. Poland's culture of fear after three years of abortion 'ban'
  7. Time for a reset: EU regional funding needs overhauling
  8. Germany tightens police checks on Czech and Polish border

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  2. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us