Romania and Bulgaria’s membership of Schengen might be put to a new vote in early December.
Spain, which currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, will put it to a vote at a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting which is scheduled for December 5-6.
„We hope that during the last (JHA) Council of the Spanish presidency in December this will become a reality,” Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spain’s acting interior minister said, according to Euronews. He said Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria was a „priority” of the Spanish presidency.
„I’m sure it’s going to be possible. We’re going to do (our) best for December to get an agreement. We’re trying to reach that agreement and I cross my fingers, but we’re working very hard on it,” Grande-Marlaska added.
Accepting new members into the Schengen Area, where border controls have been abolished, requires the unanimous endorsement by the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA), which gathers interior ministers from the 27 member states.
Romania and Bulgaria have long tried to enter the Schengen Area, thehe passport-free zone encompasses 27 countries, including 23 EU members, and over 423 million citizens.
The European Commission has said since 2011 that both Romania and Bulgaria have complied with criteria to join Schengen, such as border management, sharing of security information, and police cooperation.
But Austria has vetoed their entry, citing irregular border crossings at the EU’s external borders.
This week, Schengen member states including Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Poland and the Czech Republic, introduced temporary border controls to stem the flow of asylum seekers.
Romania and Bulgaria have contested Austria’s position and say their territories are not part of the Western Balkan or the Central Mediterranean route, which most migrants use.
Postponing Bulgaria and Romania’s Schengen bids helps Russia-EU Observer
