BREAKING Romanian MEPs: Sweden’s prime minister, who holds the EU presidency, says his country wants to put the Schengen enlargement issue on the agenda/ „I know this is what Romania and Bulgaria are waiting for”

PMP MEP Eugen Tomac says that Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristtersson told the European Parliament on Tuesday that his country, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, wants to put the issue of Schengen enlargement on the agenda.

„Just now, in the plenary of the European Parliament, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said: we want to put the issue of Schengen enlargement on the agenda. I know that this is what Romania and Bulgaria are waiting for. Let’s hope that Romania will be able to make the most effective use of this commitment made by Sweden a few moments ago in Strasbourg,” Tomac wrote on Facebook.

MEP Vlad Botoș also welcomed, in a statement to G4Media.ro, the fact that the Swedish Prime Minister said in the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg that Sweden supports the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area and is willing to put this topic on the agenda of the Council of the European Union in the coming months, as long as it holds the rotating presidency.

„It is a political signal at least that there is still a will at European level,” said Botoș.

Background

Sweden’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, Lars Danielsson, whose country took over the rotating presidency of the Union on 1 January, said last week that he would not initiate a vote on the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen in the EU Council until an agreement had been reached with the countries that opposed the two countries’ accession. He said Sweden had never been against admitting the two countries to the free movement area, reports Trud, quoted by Rador.

Ambassador Danielsson said that the Swedish Presidency would hold intensive consultations on how to proceed in the future. „This, of course, includes the two affected countries as well as countries that have indicated that they have a problem with the process. We also note that some of the reasons for not having a positive decision in December are not directly related to European issues or those that are in the prerogatives of the presidency,” he said, as quoted by BNR.

„We have already started bilateral consultations with the affected parties. When these discussions will provide an opportunity to put the issue back on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, I cannot say now. In our view, the sooner the better. But we see no point in putting it on the agenda until it is clear that there is a reasonable chance of getting approval in the Council. So we will try to do this during the Swedish Presidency, but I cannot guarantee that it will happen. This is not primarily up to us, but to the affected parties,” Danielsson stressed.

Last December, Austria and the Netherlands blocked the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. Both countries are opposed to Bulgaria’s accession, while for Romania only Austria is opposed. Unanimity is needed from the member countries to reach agreement on the issue, and according to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, a solution to the problem can be expected this year by October at the latest.

Translated article