Law enforcement in Europe

The European Parliament voted for "access" of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen visa information system. This will allow both countries to check through the new visa system for third-country nationals without, however, being able to enter, modify or delete data, reported BGNES.

One day after the European Commission proposed that temporary border controls inside the European Union's free-travel zone be extended for up to three years during a crisis, EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos said that the Schengen area, where passport checks are normally not required, must be protected at all costs.

The European Commission said on Wednesday it is "high time" that Bulgaria and Romania become full members of the Schengen area and urged the Council of the EU to take the necessary actions in this regard, SeeNews reported.

Police said Wednesday that a people smuggling operation unraveled last week in Attica used stolen passports and even forged an ID belonging to a member of Eurojust - the European Union agency dealing with judicial cooperation in criminal matters - to fly refugees into Central and Northern Europe.

Ahead of the European Union (EU)-India Summit (to be held in New Delhi in October), the 28-member bloc has hinted that it will broaden its engagement and strengthen strategic and business ties with India. The EU has also indicated that it will formalise a big-bang action plan on various bilateral issues at the upcoming summit.

France and Germany have called for the right to reintroduce border controls within the passport-free Schengen zone for as long as four years in the face of the continuing threat of terrorism, according to the Guardian. 

Germany's Federal Minister for the Interior, Thomas de Maiziere sees no chance of a quick accession of countries such as Bulgaria and Romania, to the Schengen area, the daily newspaper Die Berliner Zeitung reports.

Austria, France, Germany, Denmark and Norway have called on Brussels to extend the length of time members of the passport-free Schengen area can reintroduce border controls from two to four years.

The European Parliament on September 12 approved a list of 30 full members of its new special committee on counter-terrorism. Its main tasks will be to assess the extent of the terrorist threat in Europe and highlight any potential faults, deficiencies and malfunctions in counter-terrorism measures, NewEurope.eu writes.

Romania and Bulgaria have finally been granted permission to join the Schengen Area paving he way for citizens to move freely throughout the bloc.

EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker made the announcement in his state of the union address on Wednesday.

He said: "It is high time to bring Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Area.