Schengen: Not So Fast Romania And Bulgaria

From Deustche Welle:
"Row over borders threatens to divide Europe"

European Union member states obviously had something different in mind than the proposals served up at Thursday’s meeting of EU interior ministers. Faced with a wave of refugees from North Africa, some governments want to limit the freedom of travel within the visa-free Schengen Area. In response, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom tabled some changes. But in so doing, she largely wants to take away the right of individual states to reinstate temporary border controls, and have any such decisions taken at European level. But the Schengen Agreement is causing other headaches as well. Since their accession to the EU in 2007, Romania and Bulgaria have been pushing to join the border-free travel zone. However, other member countries have prevented this up until now and on Thursday delayed a decision once again. The Romanian and Bulgarian governments insist that they have met the necessary conditions but have seen their accession delayed twice in three months over concerns that their failure to rein in corruption and organized crime would put the 25 other Schengen members at risk. Polish Interior Minister Jerzy Miller, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, also spoke of a lack of trust. He, however, meant a very different kind of trust and feels that Romania and Bulgaria have in a way been let down. "Today, the promise in the accession contract [regarding membership of Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen Area] has been broken," he said. "And today we are not confident enough to say that we want to act together rather than separately." As a compromise, a two-step plan has been mooted. It foresees air and sea borders opening first, while a decision to open land borders would be delayed to next year. Both Germany and France have voiced support for this solution. But with the interior ministers so far unable to reach agreement, the topic will be discussed again at the next EU summit in mid-October.

^ More trouble in the EU. I have always said that they have become too big for their own good. They allowed too many countries to join the EU too quickly, then they did the same with the Eurozone and now with the Schengen Area. While the EU continues to say that every member-state citizen has freedom of movement and the same rights that is not the case in real-life. Even when Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007 their citizens were allowed to visit the other member-states with an ID card, but they could not live and work there like the other citizens can. Now they are being prevented from joining the Schengen Area. I am a little surprised that Poland has stood up for them joining since it seems no one member-country is. I see vast changes happening in the EU within the near future. I don't think the Euro will remain the currency of the majority of EU countries and the Schengen Area will also be reduced if not eliminated altogether. There was so much promise with the EU, the Euro and the Schengen, but as history as shown us Europe is a vast continent with many different cultures, traditions and politics that don't always mesh well. ^

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15409899,00.html