Law enforcement in Europe

The European Union's interior ministers will refrain from voting on Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen entry during the Home Affairs Council meeting today. Instead, they will assess both countries' preparedness for joining the free movement area.

European Parliament members Ilhan Kyuchyuk representing Bulgaria and Vlad Botos representing Romania led a protest at Vienna's Ministry of Interior on Monday, denouncing Austria's stance against Bulgaria's and Romania's Schengen area admission. Austrian MP Helmut Brandstatter joined the demonstration.

Anticipation surrounding Bulgaria's potential Schengen membership faces another delay, as diplomatic sources, relayed by Brussels correspondent Angelina Piskova to BNR, reveal that no immediate decision will emerge in the upcoming week.

Ilhan Kyuchyuk, a Bulgarian MEP representing the Renew Europe Group, alongside Romanian MEP Vlad Botos and Austrian MEP Helmut Brandstätter, are slated to stage a demonstration on December 4 in front of Vienna's Ministry of the Interior. The protest aims to challenge Austria's resistance to Bulgaria and Romania's inclusion in the Schengen area.

Negotiations for Bulgaria and Romania's entry into the Schengen area won't face a formal vote during the Council of the European Union's meeting on December 5, Euractiv reports.

"Part of the Russian propaganda in Bulgaria is the suggestion that Bulgarians are second-class citizens of the EU. With our entry into Schengen, this would change," said Finance Minister Asen Vassilev in an interview with the newspaper Die Welt.

Persons that might pose a threat to the EU & to the lives of our citizens are detected & identified when they try to enter the Schengen Area before being deported in a swift manner

The best option is for Romania and Bulgaria to enter the Schengen area together, and "all negotiations and all attempts to convince those who have reservations on this matter are aimed at this". Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said this today at a joint press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, Agerpres agency reported.

"Only united can we hope for a good result, and not by accusing each other of showing weakness" - this is how the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel commented on the tension in the ruling coalition in connection with the unknowns surrounding the acceptance of Bulgaria into Schengen:

Austria no longer has a problem with Romania, but still claims that the Schengen area needs to be reformed. As for Bulgaria, it continues the dialogue with the Netherlands and needs to make some urgent reforms in the judicial system. This was stated by the Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs, Catalin Predoiu, in an interview with B1 TV.